Kagome and Sesshoumaru starring in
by Tsubasa Kya
Summary: A lonely girl faces an unavoidable prophecy in the feudal era. Her friends, unaware, sign her up for a raffle where the winner gets to star in a movie with a famous cast of actors. She didn't think she would win with odds 1 in 500,000. SessKag
1. What the lake hides

**Title: Kagome and Sesshoumaru staring in...  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha people. _

IMPORTANT: Please take note, this story was previously posted under my other name "sesshoumarulover713".

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Chapter one: What the lake hides

She had tried to capture his heart, and failed. She didn't know why—the aspect of loving him and dying on him later was a burden she didn't really want to place on him. However, if he was willing to go to Hell with Kikyou, she had been hopeful that he would prefer to join her instead.

Kagome wasn't stupid. She could see he still loved Kikyou dearly and Kagome could only be "little more than just a friend". Kagome sighed, looking at the reflection that stared back at her on the surface of the water. The other woman's face was streaked with tears. 'No wonder he likes Kikyou more than you.' A cold and traitorous voice whispered devilishly in her mind. 'She doesn't cry for every little thing that comes along!'

That's not true. I don't either. Kagome denied, splashing the offending reflection. But she knew the voice was right. Kikyou truly was better than Kagome. Kagome just couldn't deny this fact anymore.

Stripping off her grimy school outfit, she waded out to the drop off point in the lake. She couldn't have cared less if there were lechers around, Miroku included. At least someone would enjoy the way she looked just for being her. It wouldn't be like Inuyasha, who seemed to enjoy only the fact that she looked like her previous incarnation.

She dove in, thinking some more. It seemed that thinking was something she just couldn't escape these days. There were inexplicable things happening. Things were happening like they needed to. Still, the one carrying the burden was Kagome, not Kikyou. Kikyou might share a piece of her soul—or was it the other way around?—but that didn't make Kagome any less of herself.

Why had she been pulled into the well? That mistress centipede was all at fault! If it had not pulled Kagome into the well, then by now Kagome could have happily been the girlfriend of Hojou or someone equally nice. That Sasuke boy was rather cute, she thought, picturing him from her last visit to school.

But no, of course her life wouldn't be so simple. She had to be pulled down a well where she found a cute half-breed dog demon with the most adorable ears she had ever seen, she had to tweak those ears upon first sight of them, and then to top it all off, she had to fall in love with the owner of said ears.

Damn it! She swore in her mind. Why do the gods love to torture me? I want so much to be with Inuyasha. To make him happy. But despite that, I know my death is impending so it's only good that he doesn't return my feelings, I suppose.

Ah yes, to be gifted with the power of a prophecy that she had to fulfill—the joys of being herself. At times, she almost wished she were Kikyou. At least Kikyou was dead so had no requirements to fulfill like the living did. It was a wonderful life that she lived.

She swam down to the bottom of the lake, fish skirting away from her as she did so. After years in the feudal era, her eyes had adjusted to being open under water, so it no longer burned as much to have them open. She could see where she was going. She swam until she could touch the sand at the bottom.

As soon as she was at the bottom, she maneuvered so her feet were touching the sand and began to scrub herself clean of the blood that coated her body. Demon slaying was a rather messy profession, she thought ironically. Sango usually smelled like demon blood and poison, making Kagome urge the other girl to bathe often. Kagome would never say Sango smelled bad, but she couldn't honestly say that the other girl smelled like a petunia either.

Kagome felt the sand under her feet and took a step, only to feel a sharp poke in the bottom of her foot. She looked down, still holding her breath, and saw red filtering into the water, lifting her foot to examine the damage. There was something shiny at the bottom of the water that she had stepped on.

Bending down, she picked it up, along with a stone and a bunch of sand. Needing air, she shot towards the surface, breaking free in time to gasp in a huge lungful of oxygen. Treading water, she allowed her stinging foot the release it wanted. It was pulsing, the blood exiting the small cut. She was glad it was only small. Wounds on her feet weren't the best thing around.

She found she had picked up a rather smooth bone from the bottom of the lake along with what looked to be an intricately done bracelet. Dropping the bone into the water again, she stared at the bracelet, beaded water dripping down her face. It had designs of leaves and flowers extending from it, yet was covered in algae and slightly tarnished.

She was positive it was a magical item, so soon found herself guilt-tripping herself into taking it. Yes, she was desecrating the dead by taking it. But it would be worse to leave it because someone else would take the magical item and they would probably use it for bad things. Even if she had no clue what those bad things could possibly be.

Swimming to the shore, Inuyasha being pressed from her mind, she hopped on one foot towards her pack. She didn't want to get sand and dirt into the wound. She stuffed the item in her pack to examine later and dried off, intent to going home. Home was where her mother was. Home was where she could argue with her brother, or get annoyed at her grandfather for telling his stories non-stop.

Home was not where she would get berated for… whatever she had recently done "unlike Kikyou".

It had been four years since the first time she came through the well. She'd gone home through the well when she needed to for school and for supplies and seeing her family, but those trips got fewer and farther apart. It was time she took up a normal 'home visit' schedule. Could she really live in the past anyway? Despite she might like Inuyasha, if she managed to pull through and live after the whole hunt was over, she had a life to continue at home.

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**End. **


	2. What bleeds shall live

**Title: Kagome and Sesshoumaru staring in...  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: Nope._

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Chapter two: What bleeds shall live

She jumped with surprise when she saw who was sitting on the edge of the well, as though waiting for her to arrive. As though knowing she would go there in the first place. Kikyou stared of into the distance, her soul collectors swirling in spirals above the well, yet somehow Kagome thought they looked different, and none of them had a soul waiting in their little pincers. Kagome looked at Kikyou for a long moment, feeling her heart clench. There was the one who held Inuyasha's heart so strongly.

Did she even know it? Kagome wondered. She couldn't tell. Kikyou's face and eyes were, as seemed normal, impassive; revealing nothing of what the woman behind the mask really felt. But, Kagome mused, if she had the chance would she really switch places with Kikyou? Kikyou, after all, never got to live like Kagome did. The fact that Kikyou felt in love in the first place was entirely a fluke.

Kikyou didn't choose to love. She stumbled rather haphazardly upon it and died because of it. She didn't have examples to follow because she wandered from place to place to protect the jewel. Its call made her unable to stay in any one place for very long and so she left her home, her sister, returning only every so often to visit, but then always, _always_, leaving again. Kagome couldn't live like that.

"I was not sure if you would show." Kikyou whispered, so quiet that Kagome almost thought she misheard her. Kagome tilted her head slightly, confused that the woman would be looking for her. Her body unconsciously tensed as she wondered if Kikyou would take another stab at her life, literally. "I must inquire of you..."

Kagome said nothing, fearing if she spoke, her words would turn on whatever drove Kikyou into madness and Kikyou would try to kill her again. Suspicion came with four years of life, or death, or whatever she was living. She lived neither here, nor there. So she couldn't tell if she lived or not. Did the children of prophecy even live?

"What time does this well lead to?" Kikyou knew the well allowed Kagome to travel through time, just did not know what time it went to. She had a reason to inquire, a reason to know. Curiosity was that reason, a desire to know more about her reincarnation. A desire to place her reincarnation in a category in her mind. Useful, or useless. Her reincarnation seemed to know a bare minimum of things in the time she was prancing about in, and Kikyou wondered why.

Kagome scratched the back of her neck, feeling the tension in her shoulders ebb away. "I thought you despised all living creatures... Why do you suddenly ask?" It made her nervous. Indeed, it did. To see her previous incarnation so close to the door to her family back home...it was unnerving. The distance between Kagome and the well seemed like there was a great chasm that had just opened up in the earth, as wide as the Grand Canyon in America.

"I did despise all living creatures." Kikyou took a deep breath before standing. She seemed to float across the distance, but Kagome saw her legs moving. She seemed surreal for a moment, but then Kagome noticed that there was something else behind those brown orbs of Kikyou's. Brown eyes were the only difference that separated Kagome and Kikyou. Kagome's were blue.

Kagome unconsciously stepped back when Kikyou got close. Something flashed through the other woman's eyes for a moment before the impassive look returned. "What changed?" she asked suspicion clear in her voice.

Kikyou moved closer again and Kagome moved back. It was like a dance that continued until Kagome's back was against a tree. Kikyou had cornered her and she grabbed Kagome's hand, placing a small knife in it. Kagome looked at the knife that she held with confusion, and then looked at Kikyou. What was Kikyou trying to tell her?

Kikyou wrapped Kagome's fingers around the hilt and took the blade, pressing it to her own palm. Kagome thought she would be cutting through clay, because wasn't that what Kikyou was made of? But instead, Kikyou was making her bite through flesh, and blood was dripping out of the wound, pooling in the hand.

Yelping, Kagome pulled back. Kikyou was real. She was _real_. But even more than that... Kagome was also real. If she wasn't, the cut on the bottom of her foot would not have bled, would it? It wouldn't be throbbing painfully, would it? That reminded Kagome. She had to get back quickly and have her mother help her clean it properly. She had gotten most of the dirt and sand, but pain made her unable to do a proper job.

It was funny how she could do a perfect job on anyone else, but when it came to herself, she needed help. Kagome's eyes were wide as she looked at the other woman, realizing something subconsciously, but she couldn't figure out what she had just realized. What was it? What had she just learned about Kikyou? "How..?" she begged to know.

Kikyou shook her head. "I... I am not sure." She sounded suddenly less hollow. Less alone in the world. "A demon attacked me. I had no where else to go, and my wounds were fatal even for the dead clay body I had. There was no body to hold the souls in. I fell down this well, and suddenly... suddenly I had a heartbeat."

Kagome gulped. Did the well have such power? Could it bring the dead to life? Obviously it had more power than she had originally thought. It was frightening to think she had been about to go down a well that could give life. If it could give life, it could take it as well... couldn't it? Why had she not thought of this before, because it took life all the time. It transported bones of recently dead, or nearly dead demons to another place unknown.

So where did Kikyou end up? "Then what happened?"

"An old man... called down to me. He mistook me for you. But my wounds were great. I was brought out of the well by a young boy and then a woman cared for me. She knew I was not you, but the old man continued to make the mistake." Kagome smiled at the expression on Kikyou's face. Kikyou was awed by her family and how open they were. The young boy was Souta, the woman was her mother, and the old man was her grandfather.

"So what does this mean, Kikyou?" Kagome asked her, suddenly feeling no longer alone. Kikyou was alive, but that was because the well had given her a body in Kagome's time. Neither Kagome nor Kikyou could be with Inuyasha. No longer would they remind Inuyasha of the other. Kikyou had to know this. Kikyou belonged in Kagome's time. That was what Kagome had realized subconsciously, and ten minutes later figured out.

Kikyou had tears shining in her eyes. "Another chance at life, I would take in an instant. But I have been dead for so long, I do not remember how to live."

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**End.**


	3. What life is desired

**Title: Kagome and Sesshoumaru staring in...  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and company._

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Chapter three: What life is desired

Kagome stared at Kikyou for a long moment before sighing. "Come with me then, and I will show you how to live." She told the other woman though she had no clue how she was going to accomplish this task. She had been told once that it was better to have a plan and know what traffic is coming before trying to dodge it. This turn of events was completely unnexpected for her and she couldn't have known what it was before then.

Still, there she was being nice to the very real Kikyou before her when she should have been despising Kikyou for taking away yet another difference between them. The distinguishing marks between them were fading fast and she wasn't sure what she would do next, but it was clear that Kikyou could no more stay in the past than Kagome could and so Kagome was forced to somehow get Kikyou through the well into her own time or else the universe would suffer a time distortion.

Kikyou smiled, a real smile, and before Kagome knew what was going on, she was being hugged enthusiastically. She wondered how often Kikyou rewarded _anyone_ even Inuyasha with such a happy enthusiasm. "Thank you." she whispered before grabbing Kagome's hand and dragging the reluctant time-traveler to the well. "You must teach me to make what is called omalit." The strange word tumbled out of Kikyou's mouth haphazardly.

"Omelet, you mean," Kagome told her, well aware of how accents and the difference of time could confuse the older woman. The blue light engulfed the two as they fell through the well. "And omelets are my specialty! You'll be a chef in no time at all!" Kagome couldn't help but end up excited in the end. Kikyou was so different that it was like she was talking to Shippou, the young fox cub who had difficulty keeping his excitement to himself.

That excitement was wearing off on Kagome, making her forget the dull throbbing in her foot and the blood of Kikyou's on her shoulder. "I will be a chefin?" Kikyou questioned, trying out the hastily thrown word.

Embarrassed that she had talked so fast, Kagome let Kikyou start climbing the ladder out of the well before she did. "I mean, chef. It's a person who cooks for others."

Three days went by and Kagome soon found the kitchen to be a place she wanted to hide from. Her mother enjoyed Kikyou in the kitchen and after three days of Kagome teaching Kikyou to cook--and many burnt fingers onboth the girl's part--Kagome's mother took over the cleaning while Kagome stole Kikyou away to lead her upstairs. While Kagome had been trying to teach Kikyou to cook, her mother had been cleaning out a spare bedroom for Kikyou to sleep in.

The cover story for Kikyou's strange appearance and her uncanny look-alike being Kagome, Kikyou would be labeled as Kagome's distant cousin from America. Until the room had been cleaned out, Kikyou had been sleeping in a sleeping bag on Kagome's floor. At first it had unnerved Kagome until she realized that Kikyou wouldn't turn on her and really was content with the chance to live again. Basically until then, Kagome and Kikyou hadn't left the house and--surprisingly--Inuyasha hadn't come to find Kagome yet.

All they had done was lounge around in Kagome's pajamas (Kikyou borrowing a pair) and cook. They had made a cake that tasted like chalk, burned chicken wings in the oven, made rubbery omelets, and blew up a microwave when Kikyou forgot to take the silverware out of the marshmallows they were melting for rice crispy treats. They did other things too like attempting a pizza, but that idea went down the drain when Buyou tried to help and got rolled up in the dough.

"Here we are! This will be your new room." Kagome told Kikyou and opened the door. "Inspect it. Check it. And then get _ready_ to go, 'cause we are _so_ going shopping!" If there was one thing Kagome loved about her time, it was the benefit of shopping in huge malls. Yes, she loved the quiet villages, but she loved the huge malls and the even larger selection of nearly anything imaginable.

--

Sesshoumaru looked at the form in his hand skeptically as his eyes skimmed the paper. "A raffle? You think a raffle will get you a decent actor who--"

He was interrupted, and rather rudely too, by the director of the film. "Bad enough I gotta pay for your ass." the director said snidely. "You're a lousy actor--"

"Who makes movies sell!" Shippou growled, defending Sesshoumaru. "People don't care what the plot is! If it's him, they will watch it! How many actors can do that?"

"Just post them around the city. I'm paying you enough. You be good walking advertisements." The director sniffed, raising his nose in the air as though he just smelled something bad. "And take a shower. You both smell disgusting." Or the smell could have been coming from the poop on the bottom of the director's shoe...

--

Eri, Ayumi, and Yuki were walking through the mall, each with identical ice cream cones in their hands. The day was warm, the mall was noisy, and they had money to spend. Window shopping was one of the greatest joys, even when they didn't spend money. They all equally missed Kagome and wished she was well enough to spend the day with them but apparently she was in the hospital getting the cure for some incurable disease.

They weren't stupid, of course. They knew her grandfather was lying because how could she be getting cured for a disease that had no cure? Unless there was some miracle cure or something that suddenly popped up, but then the disease wouldn't be labeled as 'incurable' anymore would it?

So, it was when they were shopping that they saw Sesshoumaru Matenkashi and Shippou Fox walking through the mall, Shippou's esteemed girlfriend on his arm. Well, not literally on his arm, but she had her arm looped through his at any rate. "Oh. My. God." Yuki gasped, taking in the scene.

Ayumi's ice cream suddenly wasn't as identical as the other two girl's because herice cream fell from the waffle to splat on the ground between her feet. It was a good think it didn't land on her shoes because she had just bought them. "Oh. My. God." Ayumi repeated, gasping excitedly.

"Oh. Em. Gee!" Eri yelped, tossing her ice cream away and wiping her face clean. One could never be too perfect for the beautiful characters before them. "Ladies, we are _so_ in their line of vision!" She giggled, and the other two shared that laugh.

"Yuki, I think Sesshoumaru Matenkashi is looking at you!" Ayumi told Yuki, who shook her head and said, "No, Ayumi, I think he's looking at you!"

Eri laughed at her friends but then felt her eyes being captured by golden orbs. She wondered if those were his natural color or not. She had to physically remind herself not to drool. "Oh. My. God! Eri he's looking at you! You guys are gazing at each other!" Ayumi gasped. And then they had passed, excusing themselves as they brushed passed the three girls. Eri was so excited that she didn't notice the papers in her hands until Yuki pointed them out.

"Eri, I think he just gave you something!" Yuki said excitedly. Indeed he had. There were ten pieces of paper in her hand but she hadn't even noticed them being put there. Eri blushed. She had been touched and she didn't know it! He had ghostly hands! Oh how embarrassing for her to just stare at him so shamelessly like she had! But he had been staring at her too. Their eyes had kept each other's!

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**End.**


	4. What mocks another

**Title: Kagome and Sesshoumaru staring in...  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer:I don't own Inuyasha and company._

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Chapter four: What mocks another

For Kikyou, in a new and strange world, the mall was a massive castle. She almost didn't know what to look at first, and her face had quite the look on it that made Kagome break out into a fit of giggles. She grabbed the older once-dead woman by the hand and dragged her through the thickening crowd of people toward the first store, attempting to explain the wonders of her world more than she'd already done.

"Come on! See, things aren't like in the past, where if one thing was sold out, there were no more of it. Everything is made by machines now. If something is sold out, we can order it--usually for the same price, but sometimes with a charge fee depending on the store you go to--and it will arrive at the store where you can then pay for it. Sometimes it does take a while for the product to get in, but that depends on the supply and demand for the product." Kagome pulled Kikyou into a Jess&Jenn Hot Shop and waved hello to the cashiers. Those who remembered Kagome from the days when shopping was Kagome's entire life waved back.

As Kikyou's eyes fell upon the revealing clothing worn by the girls of the 'future', she cringed. She had demanded of Kagome a long skirt that at least reached her ankles but Kagome wouldn't let Kikyou wear the shawl she'd wanted for cover over her upper body since it was eighty-nine degrees out that day. Instead, Kagome promised her she wouldn't stand out in the crowd wearing a peach tank-top and the pink skirt.

"Do girls actually wear this in public?" Kikyou asked as they passed a rack. She pulled from the shelf what looked to be a sheer piece of lingerie and showed it to the confused Kagome, who blushed a bright red, taking the hanger and shoving it back on the rack. "Kagome?" Kikyou inquired, worried she had done something wrong.

Kagome grabbed Kikyou's hand, pulling her away from the lingerie. "No, that's something a girl wears underneath her clothes. It's like a loincloth and breastband..." Kagome didn't need to tell Kikyou that most girls who got such lingerie generally only put it on to take it off or have it taken off. She directed Kikyou to where regular clothing was.

"This is what people wear in public." Kagome explained, pulling a blue satin sleeveless dress from the rack. It went all the way to the ankles and had a sheer unattached overcoat that was a similar blue. The sleeves flared at the bottoms and were hemmed with lace. It had a neckline that dipped low so to show cleavage, and a soft green sash tied at the waist to give it a bit more of a curve, with plenty of extra cloth to hang down from the tie to accent a dip.

Kikyou shook her head fretfully. "That would be most undecent!" she insisted. "Never!"

Kagome shoved the outfit into Kikyou's arms despite the woman's protesting. She used the knowledge that Kikyou would not drop it for fear of being exceptionally rude to her advantage and continued shifting through and handing Kikyou outfit after outfit, until Kikyou had as many as she could hold. Only when Kikyou couldhold no more did Kagome push Kikyou toward the changing room, entering with her.

It was a plus that Kagome and Kikyou looked so alike that they could pass as twins.

--

"Kagome!" Kagome turned at the familiar voices calling out to her. She waved when she recognized her oldest friends jogging towards her, Ayumi, Yuki, and Eri all holding small bags that held their purchases. Eri had only one bag, the other two each had two bags; Eri had never been a big spender anyway. In her free hand, Eri held a stack of papers to her chest.

"Kagome, when did you get back into town?" Ayumi asked breathlessly.

Yuki nodded, "Yeah, I thought you were at Saint Zammiches Asylum for the Clinically Incurable and Criminally Insane."

Eri rolled her eyes behind the other two girls. Eri was the not-so gullible of the three. She had stopped believing Grandpa's far-fetched versions of what happened a long time ago, but the other girls insisted that Grandpa couldn't be wrong. She glanced at Kikyou and said, "Kagome, I didn't know you had a twin."

Kagome smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I didn't either until just recently. This is Kikyou, my sister; I've been away visiting her for the first time." Kagome didn't bother to respond to the fact of the Asylum. If they were that gullible, that wasn't her problem, now was it?

"Hi Kikyou," Eri said while Ayumi and Yuki waved enthusiastically, stating, "Good to meet you, Kikyou!" in unison. Kikyou waved back a little, looking embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Kagome spotted the papers in Eri's hand and said, "What are those? Flyers?"

Eri grabbed Kagome's hand tightly, pulling her away from the others, leaving poor Kikyou to be uncomfortable by Ayumi and Yuki, who were talking eagerly of things Kikyou had never even heard of; such things as Ackters and Moovees. What the heck are those anyway? Kikyou wondered, while politely nodding and pretending (for the sake of conversation of course) that she knew what they were talking about.

"Kagome, you'll never guess what happened! Right here, in the mall!" Eri's eyes were feverish, despite she didn't usually go all out like that. "Just a few minutes ago too!"

"You bought a new pair of shoes?" Kagome threw herself out on a limb and took a guess. "Those do look pretty new." She was looking at Eri's shoes, a black and white pair of dress shoes.

Eri shoved the papers in Kagome's hand. "THE Matenkashi-sama gave me these! He touched my hand!"

Kagome looked at the papers. "Um, Eri? They're forms. So what?"

"You! You! Oh, nevermind then, Kagome." She sighed heavily. "I just thought you would be interested in the chance to act in a movie..."

"I have enough things on my plate right now, Eri." Kagome told her friend honestly. "I can't be everywhere at once. And if I don't sign up, then that's more of a chance for you and Ayumi and Yuki to win. So while Kikyou and I save the world, you guys can have fun."

Eri glared at Kagome slightly. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"

"Not at all." Kagome assured her friend, who didn't believe her. Eri promised herself silently that she would fill out a form for Kagome anyway, because 'saving the world' couldn't possibly be as important as the once-in-a-lifetime chance of acting in a movie with the one and only Matenkashi!

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**End.**


	5. What said aloud is sad

**Title: Kagome and Sesshoumaru starring in...  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I do not own "Inuyasha". _

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Chapter five: What Said Aloud is Sad

Kagome and Kikyou—much to Kikyou's relief—bid Kagome's friends goodbye and made their way toward a new shop, already heavily laden with clothes for Kikyou. Kagome really was having a good time and was surprised that Kikyou could be this much fun when stripped of the reason to be so stiff.

It was strange, but Kikyou was like a liquid now in a sense, which didn't entirely make sense to Kagome. She was trying to understand it, however. Kagome startled Kikyou when she suddenly said, "Oh! A jewelry store! Kiki, we just have to go in there! You're not a properly groomed lady without jewelry, and you simply must get your ears pierced."

"Ears pierced? And did you just call me 'Kiki'?" Kikyou smiled, liking the nickname. It did make her a little bit sad to know that she wouldn't ever see the era she grew up in again, but on the other hand, Kagome and her family thus far had taken away much of the loneliness of being in a new world.

"Oh," Kagome blushed. "Sorry, if you don't like me to call you that, I won't…" she apologized. "I'm really sorry; I don't know where it came from…" Perhaps it came from your own need and desire to be something to someone? said a snide voice in Kagome's mind, which she promptly ignored. Kikyou shook her head and put both bags she carried into one hand, slipping her arm through Kagome's arm almost as if she were really a sister, but one whom they had grown up together with. In some degree, it could be wondered whether it would be wrong to say they had grown up together, considering they were the same soul for a very long time. Were they still the same soul now, just in two very real, separate bodies? Or were they not?

Did they share in Kagome's prophecy, she wondered. "Kiki is a cute name. I like it." Kikyou told Kagome assuredly.

Kagome stared into brown orbs for a long moment before smiling. "You still have brown eyes. Mine are blue…" she noted. "I can tell us apart…"

--

It was around three o'clock that Sesshoumaru parted ways with Shippou and the man who claimed to be their manager. Sesshoumaru had personally never liked Nokojukushu, their manager, but he'd put up with him over the years because Nokojukushu was his alibi—though the man did not know it.

Every twenty to thirty years, Sesshoumaru, Shippou and every other demon who'd lived for as long as they had staged their death and had their 'son' take over. Sesshoumaru didn't have a son in real life—he'd yet to even start a family—but no one else knew that.

Sesshoumaru had already decided what he would become after he staged his death. He had to be ahead of the game by this stage, because Nokojukushu had been Sesshoumaru's acting manager for nineteen years and thought Sesshoumaru was in his early forties (of course the human manager was unaware that Sesshoumaru was more close to his four-or-five hundreds.

Sesshoumaru always kept it simple: it was a tradition in his family to send the children away to be schooled. This way the public, should they take interest in Sesshoumaru, can think that the young heir to the Matenkashi bloodline was hidden away somewhere secretively.

As Sesshoumaru continued walking through the mall, viewing the items on display in the windows, he felt a familiar presence and was startled by it. He hadn't felt that aura for hundreds of years, but he could never forget who it belonged to. It was that strange woman, the one who just up and randomly kissed a demon lord—and got away with it no less!

But where it was coming from, he wondered, was the question. He looked left and right, seeing many people but not that distinctive face. Chalking it off as a figment of his imagination, he shook his head and entered one of the local jewelers.

"—and therefore, if you think about it Kiki," he immediately heard someone yammer on the other end of the store. He looked; two girls stood with their arms linked together and their long black-haired heads bent over one counter to look at the displays. "A girl's gotta have jewelry. I have a lot of it, even if I don't wear it. Well, okay, most of mine are all family heirlooms passed to me from my many-greats grandmother Rin, but that's beside the point."

Sesshoumaru sniffed at the air. The place smelled like refined metal, as usual, but that was to be expected considering the jewelry was the only product sold here. There was also a tiny hint of jasmine and that of water lilies. He assumed that was the girl's perfumes. He tuned out the old, musky smell that came from dust.

"Here, what do you think of this one?" the first girl questioned the one named 'Kiki'. Sesshoumaru made his way to the counter by the register opposite the girls, again feeling a nagging in his senses that something—or someone—from his long past was near. But how was their presence so close? He was sure that the girls weren't anyone he knew.

"It's gaudy and overpriced, if what you explained to me about money is true." Kiki responded.

Sesshoumaru smirked at the response, his eyes wandering to their backs. They were both thin, but the one's legs showed toned, and the other's arms were muscled. He rang the bell for service, listening to them with an increased amount of amusement, even as he wondered why there was no service in the main room.

"Hm…" the first one said thoughtfully, "well what about this one?" As they spoke, they kept close together, their linked hands holding the bags with purchases from other stores and their faces constantly covered by their hair.

"I could make better than that," said Kiki, sounding like she was smirking. "And I wouldn't ask for so much for it either."

Sesshoumaru almost burst out laughing, but had to restrain himself. He rang the bell again and called toward the stairs behind the register, "Hey, pup! You know you have customers, right? It's rude to keep them waiting!"

He watched the girls continue debating for a second. Kiki seemed displeased with everything the first girl pointed out. Finally the first girl demanded to know why. Kiki said in no uncertain terms, "You have pointed out only the silver items in the case. I find silver rather ugly."

"But, silver is my favorite! I hate gold, because it's stupid and ugly." The first one said. "You should like silver, because I like it."

"That's a silly notion, you realize? If anything, it would be _you_ who liked _gold_ because I like it. Simply because I was born before you." Kiki sounded smug.

The first one shoved Kiki slightly with her elbow as Sesshoumaru heard a gruff, "I'm comin'," yelled down the stairs. Sesshoumaru assumed the two girls were related somehow. They acted like they could be sisters.

"Well then, oh wise of the wise, show me a good piece of jewelry." The first girl mocked.

"Yo, what're you doing here?" Sesshoumaru turned toward the register to find his younger half-brother staring at him in confusion. "Kou told me you were hired for a new movie lead." Inuyasha was over a hundred years younger than Sesshoumaru, but he'd grown dependable over the years.

As usual, he kept his hair long like Sesshoumaru. The times hadn't changed either's preference for hair length very much. Sesshoumaru used to keep his hair down to the back of his knees but now he kept it just to his waist so he wasn't always sitting on it after switching to western style tables and chairs in his dining room in the past several years.

"The almighty director wanted me and a few others to do some promoting in the mall. We're handing out these." Sesshoumaru showed him the flyers and watched as his younger brother's eyes danced with mischief.

"So he's got you promoting a movie with that? What, now the acting business has gone to the lottery?" He opened his mouth to say more, but a sudden hiccup announced the arrival of Inuyasha's wife. Reiko stumbled down into the store from the apartment above and hiccupped again.

"Wha'd'er yous all doin' in me house?" she yelled loudly. She reeked of booze, though that wasn't very out of the ordinary. Reiko belched, her pupils dilating and her form swaying.

Inuyasha sighed. Reiko was still in her undergarments. "Reiko," he explained softly, not looking at her but looking ashamed instead, "this isn't part of the apartment. Would you _please_ go back upstairs?" To Sesshoumaru, it looked like Inuyasha was regretting marrying the woman.

Reiko wasn't human, but was what Sesshoumaru liked to call 'a bad example of a demon' if he was being nice about it. There were several other words he'd prefer to call Reiko, but he wouldn't, especially with Inuyasha within his hearing. She was a woman who'd once been better looking, but two hundred years of drinking heavily and no exercise combined with mass eating made her fat, sluggish, and beer bellied. She had pointed ears and droopy purple eyes, but other than that had no distinguishing demonic features.

"I kin go whir-ver I says I gonna. Sha'dap ya lily lackwit toad." She scratched one of her stomach rolls and sauntered around the counter toward the two girls.

"Reiko, please, go back upstairs!" Inuyasha begged of her in a whisper, hoping the girls would be left alone. He reached out for her arm to grab her, but despite she was drunk she slipped away too fast.

"You li'l slanderin'!" she accused of the two girls, who ignored her. Inuyasha almost sighed in relief but knew it was too early to do that. Sesshoumaru knew that Reiko was becoming a big hindrance to have around lately, constantly scaring away most of the potential customers. But at the same time, he knew he couldn't intervene, because Inuyasha would hate that.

"Reiko, please listen to me. They're customers! Please leave them alone." He hurried around the counter.

"Wench, I's talkin' t' yous now, so listen up!" Reiko yelled at the two girls.

The girls still ignored her, talking as if they didn't realize there was a drunk yelling at them from two feet away. "Oh, Kiki, that's not very pretty. I could make better than _that_." Said the first one.

The second one, Kiki, said in reply, "You are only saying that because it is gold."

"Am not! Oh, Kiki, I think that naked lady is talking to you." The two girls tilted their heads to look at Reiko, but their hair still covered their faces from the direction that Sesshoumaru was in. "What does she want?"

Kiki said, "I am not sure. I believe she had too much sake."

"You're right," said the first girl, "I can smell it from here."

"I believe, perhaps," Kiki said to her companion, "that she does not care of her hygiene; her first and foremost mistake."

Reiko seemed to dislike the fact that the two girls were talking about her as if she wasn't even there. She grabbed one of the girls' arm and yanked on it. "No ignorin' me!" she howled.

"Kiki!" the second girl yelped. With their arms interlocked together, the two of them were pulled together. Their shopping bags crashed to the floor and spilled out—most of it clothes—and the first girl tumbled to the floor of the small jeweler's shop.

"Reiko!" Inuyasha grabbed his wife's wrist firmly, removing it from the girl's arm and pulled her toward the stairs, red faced and trying to bow apologies to the two girls. It wasn't working well for him, and Reiko was struggling. He ended up tripping half the way. "I'm so sorry, sorry!"

Her face more than half covered with her long hair as it was askew, the brown eyed girl watched Reiko sharply before turning to the other girl once Inuyasha had disappeared with Reiko up the stairs. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," the first girl chirped optimistically, but muttered lowly, "though I wouldn't mind shoving _her_ about and seeing how she likes it…" Kiki bent to help the first girl pick up their things. "This used to be my favorite jewelry store before they closed shop and moved to Yokohama. I've heard Yuka complain about this place a lot."

"Well, the jewelry has no soul." Kiki added, both talking in whispers that weren't meant to be heard. Inuyasha had just come down the steps again and it was clear from the look in his eyes that he heard the comment quite clearly.

"I think a very sad person must have made the jewelry." Said the first girl. "Someone who doesn't have their heart in what they do." They gathered their things up and linked arms again, leaving the store without Sesshoumaru ever seeing either of their faces. He'd seen a part of Kiki's face, but hardly enough to be recognizable.

'They're right about that,' Sesshoumaru thought as he watched his younger brother's shoulders slump in defeat.

Inuyasha walked over to the front door as if he were in a funeral procession and turned the 'open' sign over to say 'closed'. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "You know…" Inuyasha said, "I'd thought, 'Why not. I haven't got anything to lose.' After Kikyou disappeared, then Kagome killed herself, I'd thought… 'Why not?' And after two hundred years being married, in this business I've had for five hundred years, I've only sold five pieces of jewelry. Reiko's draining me of all the money I saved for three hundred years, I'm near broke completely, and the next thing I believe I'll have to look forward to, is a child who I can't support."

"Child?"

Inuyasha smiled tiredly, "There's a four year old who… I adopted. I've been going to visit him… every night. Half-breed like me… He was being left out, Sess. I couldn't leave him like that, just him in a big orphanage with all them demons and humans ignoring him, even if the humans didn't know why they didn't like him. I bring him home next week."

Sesshoumaru sighed. "If you're so unhappy, come home. You know you're welcome any time."

"Those girls were right…these pieces," he waved his hands at the counters around him that, filled with expensive fine diamonds and other precious stones or jewels, glittered, "have no soul. Reiko's sucked all my heart away, or what was left of it after Kikyou and Kagome anyway."

"Get rid of Reiko if you're so unhappy with her." Sesshoumaru told him. He moved closer to his brother and flicked the young half-demon's bruised, split lip. "You didn't get that from Kouga, or me, or Shippou." He opened the door. "And that environment wouldn't be promising to bring a child into." He left Inuyasha. Inuyasha would notice the handful of twenty dollar bills on the counter in a few minutes and get mad, but he would be grateful all the same.

He couldn't understand how Inuyasha would put up with what he did.

--

Kagome and Kikyou left the mall satisfied and, to conclude their day out, Kagome wanted to show Kikyou what the inside of an automobile was like so that she wouldn't get scared if she ever had to go in one. Already Kikyou was curious about them, asking where the horses were that pulled them, thinking they were carriages.

With a small laugh, Kagome explained, "There are no horses. These pull themselves by burning fuel. Taxi!" She waved her right arm in the air in an attempt to get some attention from the drivers but traffic just kept going. After a few minutes shouting and waving her arm like a lunatic, she laughed a bit embarrassed. "It might be faster just to walk home anyway."

Kikyou smiled and grabbed the handles to her bags all in one hand and raised her fingers to her lips. Kagome had to hurriedly cover her ears as suddenly Kikyou let out an ear-piercing whistle and a taxi driver pulled over to the edge of the street.

"Wow! Where'd you learn to do that?" Kagome asked her newly-made twin. It was surprising how just a few days with Kikyou had let Kagome learn so much about her counterpart. And Kikyou was so much nicer than Kagome had ever thought she would be. There was less competition between them now that they both understood that they belonged here, in the Modern Era.

"I once traveled with a war general and his army. Shall we get in the carriage?"

Kagome blushed as the taxi driver honked loudly at them and they got in. Kagome really should have been the one to show Kikyou in, not the other way around, since it was Kagome treating her sister. Kagome showed Kikyou how to buckle up and then buckled up herself. The driver called back, "Where to, ladies?"

"Sunset Shrine please," Kagome said and settled into the seat. The driver turned into the traffic and Kagome felt a hand grab hers. With surprise she looked at Kikyou. The usually calm and collected girl was sweating and closing her eyes tightly. Kagome understood why; carriages went only seven to ten miles at top speed. They were up to thirty-five miles an hour already.

The drive was over almost before it began for Kagome, but for Kikyou it was years before they stumbled onto the pavement below the steps. Kikyou looked green. Kagome shook her head slightly. "Amazing." She murmured as she picked up Kikyou's share of the bags.

Kikyou looked at Kagome with a question in her eyes. Kagome simply told her, "You don't even flinch at the sight of all the blood and gore, but get you going faster than a carriage can go and you get all weak-kneed."

Kikyou glared at Kagome. "If anyone tries to get me in one of those monstrosities again, I will not hesitate to relinquish them of their pathetic excuse of an existence."

Kagome laughed outright at that threat and said, "Thirty-five miles is nothing. Just wait till one of these days when you get out of town in one of those. You can go twice as fast as that!" She started skipping up the stairs and Kikyou slumped after her, still looking like she just wanted to kiss the solid ground.

Again that night they ate with Souta, Mama, and Grandpa (who couldn't get used to two Kagomes) and then the two girls stayed up late in the living room to watch movies. Souta even came to join them after Mama fell asleep and couldn't scold him for being up. He lay between the two girls. The three fell asleep on the living room floor without blankets and woke up covered.

A week later, Kagome and Kikyou both felt they had accomplished a great deal. Kikyou was enrolled in Kagome's school and they both had lunch every day with Yuka, Ayume, and Eri. They went shopping, watched movies, worked on homework, ate out, and went shopping some more. Kikyou refused to take a taxi anywhere, but they took the subway for the first (and likely last) time in Kikyou's life.

Kikyou had to take a trip to the ladies room after the subway to throw up, and came up with many painful deaths for the architect of the subway which she versed all to Kagome in a hoarse-from-vomiting voice.

Homesick in a sense, Kikyou asked Mama if she could start a garden in the back yard. Mama agreed to it with a smile and told Kikyou to make up a list of the things she would require. In just a few days, Mama had gotten everything Kikyou asked for, finding most of it at antique stores. Mama wanted to make Kikyou feel as at home as possible. Kikyou was able to dig up the ground for her garden before fall set in, which was as she stated perfect timing so it could set for the winter.

Once the plot for the garden was tilled, Kagome knew she couldn't continue to procrastinate. She had to go back to the past. By then her foot had healed up and she figured if she didn't go now, she wouldn't want to ever. She was having so much _fun_ with Kikyou. So she said goodbye to her family and Kikyou, and told Souta to help make sure Kikyou got to school alright.

On the other side of the well, Inuyasha was waiting for her. He looked a little disturbed by something, but immediately his first statement was, "Come on, Kagome, let's go. You're holding the rest of us up. I don't see why you had to be gone for _two weeks_!"

"Well, excuse me for having a life to live!" Kagome huffed indignantly as they joined Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kirara in Kaede's hut. "You know, people are starting to get suspicious of me. Half my school thinks I'm too sick to approach, the other half thinks I'm a walking miracle."

"That's perfect! Then I don't have to kick anyone's ass if they approach you!" Inuyasha muttered.

"Sit!" Kagome ordered, angered for some reason. He crashed into the floor.

"Welcome back, Kagome-chan!" Sango greeted her as Miroku said, "Kagome-sama, are you back now?"

"Yup!" Kagome said as Shippou flung into her arms. "I'm here for a week or two."

"Kagome no Hahaoya!" Shippou cried happily.

Kagome laughed at Shippou and hugged him close. "Mother Kagome, am I?" she asked him and he nodded.

"It is good to see ye again, Kagome-san." Kaede greeted her as the elderly woman entered carrying a basket full of herbs. "I suppose ye will not be staying long?"

Inuyasha growled up from the floor, "Of course not! We've got shards to collect! Kaede-obaabaa no baka." With a painful thump, Kaede let the basket fall on Inuyasha's back. "Bah! What, rocks?"

Kagome smiled and hugged Shippou again. 'It's good to be back,' she thought. Then she remembered the item she found in the lake just before heading back was still in her bag to be examined. She set Shippou down and peeled her bag off her back, digging in it for the bracelet.

The others looked at her. Miroku asked, "What do you have there, Kagome-sama?"

"I'm not sure," Kagome rubbed the item, trying to get the piece free of caked algae and years of underwater grime. "But it's enchanted, I know that much. I couldn't just leave it at the bottom of the lake for anyone to find, you know?" From what she could see of the tarnished item, it was made of silver and had the most delicate of designs, the flowers and leaves like baby's breath.

"Let me see that." Inuyasha said and snatched the piece from Kagome. Kaede's herb basket was strewn on the floor and there were indeed rocks in the bottom. He looked at it as he skipped out of Kagome's reach when she tried to grab it back.

"Hey! Inuyasha, what are you doing? Give that back!" Kagome told him in a voice that spoke volumes of '**warning: sit ahead, tread cautiously**'. Inuyasha stuck his tongue out at her childishly and then leapt out the window, racing toward the forest with the new prize. "SIIIIT!" Kagome yelled in frustration as loud as she could. She went chasing after him, hoping the rosary spell activated, and forgot entirely to take her bow and arrows.

"Ah, things will return to normal now that Kagome-sama has returned," Miroku nodded knowledgably, his hand on Sango's bottom.

Sango elbowed him viciously. "Things don't have to go _that_ normal!" she hissed.

--

Meanwhile, Kikyou was having dinner with Mama, Souta, and Grandpa. Before dinner, Mama had told Kikyou, "Just ignore Grandpa, okay, sweetie?"

Kikyou looked at Souta politely as he asked her a question. "Why do you want a garden anyway?" he shoved food in his mouth as if it would disappear if he didn't eat it fast enough. She remembered Inuyasha was that way too, before she died and they would secretly have little picnics. "Gardens are for _girls_, all those flowers and—Yucky stuff. Girl stuff."

Kikyou had to stifle a giggle. "But Souta-kun, I _am_ a girl!" she reminded him.

"But you _can't_ be that much of a girl!" Souta insisted.

Mama admonished, "Souta, don't talk with food in your mouth." Then immediately after that she said, "How is she not a girl?"

Grandpa ranted—apparently not paying attention to the rest of the world at all—out, "Now that the fake Kagome has left us, we once more can be a happy family! That reminds me of a story of my youth when I met a demon who would steal faces. I, of course, vanquished him on the spot, but he was a terrible monster. Indeed, a terrible monster."

"When I went to pick Kikyou-o-nee-san up from school, she was at the gym for Kendo tryouts. Girls don't use swords!" Souta added hastily, "She beat up a guy twice her size, like swoosh, bam, boom! It was so cool!" He looked to be recalling a very fond memory.

Kikyou blushed. "I wanted to try something new. I already know the bow, and Kagome told me she would be returning through the well." She picked at her food a little bit before eating some of it.

Souta crunched his fist up and looked like he'd been dealt an injustice as he yelled, "They wouldn't let her on the team though! Said she had no style or potential. They're just a'scared of her!"

"Demons are everywhere. They're our enemies. A couple of demons even came to the shrine today—to pray, they said. Pah! I've heard better lies!" Grandpa ranted. "But I scared them off with my holy sutras! For powerful priests like me, it's nothing! Hahaha! Beware the evil Blue-haired demon!"

Souta, Kikyou, and Mama all shared a smile. Grandpa's sutras were about as useful as a broken leg. They'd all seen the pair. Both of them were human and had dyed their hair bright blue. Apparently it was a fashion style going around Tokyo. Grandpa had plastered sutras in their hair and scared them both into running away.

"Might I be excused from the dinner table?" Kikyou requested politely of Mama. Mama nodded and Kikyou took her dishes to the sink, immediately washing them. She went to her room after she had washed her dishes. She and Kagome had gone shopping again yesterday and Kikyou hadn't yet put away the things from their trip. She did so now, then sat on her bed again, unsure what to do.

Her homework had been simple, and it was already completed. The garden was tilled and ready to go for next spring when she would till it again and then lay it to seed. But she was still edgy. She'd felt the presence of demons since their first trip to the mall, and the woman that had attacked her and Kagome in the Jeweler's store had been a demon.

But Kagome didn't have the jewel shards at the time, so why were they attacked? They didn't do anything wrong…

--

Kagome was frozen in place, her heart hammering in her chest. She was surrounded, and she'd lost Inuyasha, and she didn't have a single thing to protect her. Well, of course they'd catch her off guard, like she was in some cliché movie… but did it have to be now? Why, when she just wanted to catch up to Inuyasha. And why did he have to go chasing off with the bracelet she found in the first place?

"Well, a little girl, all alone in the wood, stumbled upon the big bad wolf." Said one of the bandits.

Another guffawed, "She's mine, I tell yah." He made a suggestive move with his hips and hands, "We're gonna have fun, girlie." These guys must be stupid, she swore.

"Go ahead and try it!" Kagome snapped. "I'd sooner die than let you get close enough to do any such thing." She swooped down and picked up a branch from the ground. She didn't exactly know what she would do with it, but she knew if they got too close she could whack them over the head.

"What'cha gonna do with that, girlie?" said a third, a wheezing sound emitting from his throat. "There's five o' us. O'ly one o' yez." She did a quick count and sighed. What she could see there were actually twelve of them. So they were illiterate and stupid. That would only make getting captured even worse. Inuyasha would never let her hear the end of it.

"Come any closer and I'm going to scream my head off," she said. "I'm warning you! My friend is a demon and he doesn't like it when I'm hurt!" She wished she could protect herself, but even with a bow she was a disaster. 'Great, I'm about to die!' she thought miserably. Then, as she looked at them a little more, she amended, 'No, I'll be raped and sold most likely. A fun prospect, I'm sure.'

They taunted her by stepping closer. An arrow lit in one of the men's chest on Kagome's right; down he fell. Immediately after that, a man on Kagome's left fell with an arrow's bloody tip powerfully punched through his neck. He scrabbled at the arrow even while he struggled to breath. A third and fourth man went down on Kagome's left with arrows in their backs and Kikyou stepped into the small area with her bow drawn, an arrow aimed. She was wearing the school uniform still, which made Kagome assume her coming through the well was a spontaneous decision. Kikyou hated the uniform, and told Kagome she would like to do many things to the designer of it—none of those things good.

"And I suppose you were going to hit them with the stick, hm? Then run, screaming for Inuyasha?" Kikyou drawled, as if she had read Kagome's mind. Kagome blushed, but did not respond. "I have come to the realization that the people of your era are weak. I, who have never held a sword in my life, was able to 'whoop' as Souta-kun said, the captain of your supposed Kendo-swordsmanship club."

"How did you find me?" Kagome inquired.

The apparent leader of the bandits didn't like being ignored. "Hey! What'cha done?" he demanded of Kikyou. "Wenches should know their place ain't with weapons!"

Kikyou looked coldly at him, aimed, and then fired her arrow. It shattered his kneecap and he let out a loud, piercing scream. "I may be alive now, but I can still sense the jewel shards." She tilted her head toward the jar hanging around Kagome's neck. Kagome had completely forgotten they were there.

The bandits picked up their fallen leader and scattered when Kikyou aimed her bow again. Kagome dropped the stick and threw her arms around Kikyou's shoulders. Sudden desperation had taken over, a desperation for comfort and understanding of her situation. The jewel was a heavy burden that she couldn't handle, or perhaps it was too much to handle alone.

Kikyou dropped the bow in surprise and stood for a second, stiff as a board, as Kagome cried into her shoulder. Then, with a sigh, Kikyou wrapped her arms around Kagome's shoulders and said, "I will take half of the shards for you. If we both share the burden, perhaps it will not be as difficult?" She knew the burden that Kagome held, and if she could ease it somehow, she would. She already knew that Kagome would never agree to hand over the entire stone.

"It's like wishing on a star," Kagome both laughed and sobbed at the same time. "Because you know it won't come true… I don't want you to risk your new life on my case." Kagome really hoped inside that Kikyou would take part of the stone, at least for a while. But she wouldn't pressure Kikyou into taking it. Kagome wasn't like that. She would never do that.

"I do it not for you, but for me." Kikyou admitted. "I find it hard to live in your era. Perhaps with this turn, I will be able to again find purpose in life?"

Kagome sniffed and the two sisters parted, both feeling more and more like family. She took the jar from her neck and poured two of the four shards out. Kikyou reached out for them, but Kagome hesitated. "How do I know you're not Naraku or something? That once I give you these two, you won't kill me and take the others?" After all, Naraku did have a fetish with taking other people's forms and deceiving people...

Kikyou smiled ironically. "Because Sasuke-san thought I was you at school today and requested a trip to the movies. He was very embarrassed to find I was not Kagome, but 'Kiki', Kagome's sister. And disappointed."

Kagome blushed. "You're joking right?" She handed the two shards over to Kikyou. "And just when I convinced Hojou-kun that I wasn't interested, another boy comes along. As if my life isn't complicated enough…"

Kikyou bent to pick up her bow and immediately blushed, standing upright fast and pulling at the hem of the skirt. "Ten thousand deaths to the designer of this skirt." She muttered, beginning with number one. "Starting with his devilish fingers that drew the plans for it…"

Kagome giggled. "It's not so bad when you get used to it. Just don't bend over like that." Kagome linked her arm through Kikyou's, how they had come to know walking whenever they were together recently, and began dragging Kikyou farther in the direction Inuyasha had gone. "Since you're here, you can help me. Inuyasha stole something from me, and I want it back."

"Kagome," Kikyou started.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure if we tell him the whole story of how you came back to life, he won't think you're Naraku." Kagome interrupted.

"But Kagome," Kikyou tried again.

Kagome shook her head, "No buts! Either way, he'll see you if he comes to get me in _our_ era, so he should be informed."

"No, that's not it," Kikyou said.

Kagome looked at her new sister. "Then what is it?"

Kikyou winced as Kagome ran into a tree branch, not having been paying attention to where she was going. Kikyou had ducked under it. "Are you alright?" she asked the girl on the ground. Kagome's world was spinning. "You're very unobservant to your surroundings." Kikyou pointed out.

"Thanks…for the…warning…" Kagome moaned.

"Anytime!" Kikyou giggled, but immediately stopped herself. Kagome smiled up at Kikyou while she rubbed the bump on her head.

--

Later that night, Kikyou and Kagome entered the village, linked arm in arm, both tired from walking all afternoon. They never found Inuyasha, and he wasn't in Kaede's hut. Miroku and Sango had also left, though none of the villagers knew where they had gone to. Kirara and Shippou were curled up and snoring in the corner, their bellies full and warmed.

Kaede sat before the fire, deep in meditation, but she came out of it when Kagome pulled aside the door and urged a nervous Kikyou to enter. "Good evening, Kagome." Kaede greeted her. "Did ye find Inuyasha?" The old woman's withered old hands reached out and grasped the boiling tea kettle from the fire with a spot of rag and she poured water into her cup. "Would ye like tea?" she asked, but stopped suddenly as she noticed Kikyou. "O-nee-san?"

Kikyou blushed slightly, an emotion she couldn't feel as a clay pot was embarrassment, and bowed slightly. "Kaede-chan…" she was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say after fifty years. Her last words to her sister had been 'burn the jewel with my body'. Knowing that was difficult to form new words.

"Kaede-o-baa-san," Kagome dragged Kikyou over to the fire and then plunked down across from Kaede. "We've got good news and bad news. What would you like to hear first?"

Kaede looked from one to the other, wondering what could possibly be good and what was bad. "I suppose ye should start with the good." She said warily.

"Kikyou's alive again!" Kagome chirped brightly.

If Kaede was shocked, she didn't show it. "Perhaps ye should tell the story from the beginning." Kikyou sat down only at Kagome's urging and Kikyou told the story as she knew it. While Kikyou talked, Kaede poured two more steaming cups of tea and handed them to the younger women. After the story, Kikyou fell silent and Kaede was thoughtful.

"We tried to find Inuyasha, to tell him," Kagome added, "but we couldn't find him anywhere. He stole the bracelet from me and just took off with it, like it was the Shikon no Tama, or something!"

Kaede nodded. "Ye must not tell Inuyasha. O-nee-san, you have been given a new life in Kagome's world. Ye belong here no more than Kagome does now, and once the jewel is complete, ye both must leave through the well. I will seal it after ye have gone. But Inuyasha has been through enough with Kikyou's death and the recent realization that Kagome won't be able to stay after this is over. It would be too much for him to know."

Both girls looked into the fire, one with tears swimming in her eyes and the other with a blank look on her face. "Kaede-o-baa-san," Kagome said softly, "we've both known we can't stay… but…"

Kikyou finished for her, "It hurts to hear it said aloud." Kagome and Kikyou found comfort in each other by linking their arms together and leaning on each other—a motion that did not go unnoticed by Kaede. She only hoped that the girls got over it soon, both for their sake, and Inuyasha's. And at the same time, it was nice to see that her big sister was getting another chance at life.

"Perhaps ye should be going, a'fore the young man returns then." Kaede suggested to Kikyou. "It would not bode well should he come here and see ye both together."

It was at that prized moment that Inuyasha chose to show up. "Kagome!" he said loud enough to stir the two sleeping occupants of the hut into semi-wakefulness. "Here's your stupid—" he paused, mid-sentence, and his eyes went back and forth between Kagome and Kikyou. His hands remained limp at his sides, one hand clenched around a glimmering bracelet—the one he'd stolen from Kagome, except it had no grime on it, and appeared restored to its previous state.

Kagome slapped a smile on her face. 'No different than if I were talking to Eri and the others!' she said to herself. 'He's gullible enough…' "Inuyasha! Great timing," though Kikyou and Kaede thought otherwise, and so did Kagome. "Inuyasha, I want you to meet my _sister_," she emphasized the relation, "Kiki!" They all knew if she said 'Kikyou' he would never let Kagome hear the end of it.

Inuyasha was already struggling to comprehend the fact that there were not one but **two** Kikyou-look-alikes. "Kikyou?" he asked, his amber eyes shimmering in the firelight as he took a step forward and another hesitantly backward.

Kikyou shook her head and looked at Kagome. "Perhaps I should return home. When will you return?"

As brown eyes met blue in a motionless clash, Kagome said, "I'll be a couple weeks—maybe a month. I've got enough supplies to last for a while." Kikyou and Kagome understood each other and the underlying statement. Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, would you please escort Kiki to the well for me?" Kikyou and Kagome hugged—further confusing the half-breed—and Kikyou stood up to leave.

Kikyou had gone out of the hut with Inuyasha's eyes following her. "Please, make sure she gets through the well safely, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. He followed Kikyou as if in a trance.

--

Kikyou felt Inuyasha's eyes on her the entire way to the well. He stayed a few steps behind her, and she had to carefully tread in the wrong direction several times to make it look like she hadn't walked these roads thousands of times in her life. Each time she turned the wrong way, Inuyasha would say, "Not that way."

When they got to the well, Inuyasha grabbed Kikyou's arm and turned her to look at him. In the light of the bright crescent moon in the sky, his eyes seemed to glow and her heart seemed to melt. "You're Kikyou." He accused her, his eyes going dark.

"Well, that is my full name," Kikyou said in an attempt to sway him from their line of conversation. "I've heard so much about you, Inuyasha-san." She put the formality on his name in a hope of separating them. "Kagome tells me you're arrogant, childish, and crude." No, Kikyou knew that from experience. "You're also brash, jumping into things without thinking or caring what others might think." Each word she spoke hurt her to say, but Kikyou saw him getting angrier and angrier, which would keep him away from her, though she hated herself for it.

"That Kagome…" he growled and released Kikyou's arm.

"But Kagome said you're very strong and you protect her. You must continue to protect her for a little while longer, so she can return to me, because I am her sister." Kikyou didn't want to lose Kagome now. She felt as if Kagome had given her a second chance at life, and to abandon Kagome now would surely be betrayal.

Inuyasha looked down, frowning. He appeared convinced that Kikyou was not the real one. "I'll protect her, but it won't be for you." He said. "I'll protect her so much that she'll see she needs to stay with me." Silence reigned momentarily, and then Kikyou let herself fall into the well, feeling absolutely miserable. How could she fall in love with such a childish man? And how could she remain in love with him even knowing his faults as she did? How come it hurt so much?

* * *

**End.**


	6. What good friendship is

**Title****: Kagome and Sesshoumaru starring in...**  
Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: No.__

* * *

_

Chapter six: What good friendship is

Kagome watched as Inuyasha reentered Kaede's hut with a miserable look on his face. She could accurately guess what his problem was. Seeing another Kagome—or Kikyou—was hard for him. She decided not to bother him, so instead she sat as still as possible in the corner of the room with the hope that he wouldn't notice she was awake.

Kaede had gone to sleep a while before, claiming that dwelling on the problem wasn't worth the effort Kagome would probably give it. Inuyasha hunkered down in his usual spot in the hut, folding his hands up inside his sleeves. Kagome watched him through her bangs with her head turned toward the floor and her arms wrapped around her knees.

The position compromised her dignity a little bit, considering she wore a skirt, but Inuyasha wasn't the one in their group with a perverted personality. Unless he was really good at hiding the fact. It would actually make sense that he would be, however, since he was pretty good at hiding his pain—so why not?

Inuyasha leaned his head against the wall of the corner he sat in, his amber colored eyes staring off into space. She noticed his fingers were messing with something inside his sleeve, about where his elbow was. He finally acknowledged her. "Don't sit like that, Kagome," he said in a quiet demand.

Instantly she shifted her body so she was more properly seated and looked at him directly. It would be pointless to pretend she didn't exist since he had acknowledged her first, but what Kaede had said made a lot of sense. It really would hurt Inuyasha more to tell him the truth; he and Kikyou never could be together.

"I," she started, but cut herself off. She wasn't sure what she should say. He just looked so lonely. Would he be like that forever? Was there really anything she could do, now or ever? There couldn't be very many demons left in her time.

He sighed and turned to look at her. His features spelled out betrayal, and she just knew it was her fault. "You could have told me," he said. "Did you think I couldn't handle it?"

Like a two-edged sword, his words pierced her flesh. Yes, he'd been through so much in his life. He was the strongest person she'd ever met, really. He dealt with a brother who wanted him dead, a half-breed that wanted to destroy him both in mind and body, and even learned that sooner or later his friends would deceive him or betray his trust.

The only ones who hadn't honestly done something to hurt Inuyasha were Shippou and Kirara, but Kirara as a cat-demon had very limited contact with the half-dog-demon, by nature, and Shippou looked up to Inuyasha like family. Inuyasha treated Shippou, strangely enough, like either a son or a younger brother. Neither of them would admit the mutual relationship, but Kagome had noticed it.

Inuyasha could handle more than anyone, so handling the information probably wasn't the issue. It was what he would do with it that Kagome was sure Kaede had been warning against. If Inuyasha knew that the well had given Kikyou another life, he might suddenly wonder if it would do the same for him should he just decide to stay there.

She shook her head slowly, wishing suddenly that she was back in her era. "That's not it at all…"

"I'm dying to know what it is," he bit out.

Kagome saw Shippou shifting in his little bedroll, scratching his bottom in his sleep. She didn't want to wake Shippou or he would never be able to get back to sleep. She stood and left the hut, knowing full well that Inuyasha would follow her. Inuyasha didn't disappoint her. She took him out to the forest so that if they ended up in a shouting match they wouldn't wake the villagers.

The walk gave her some time to think about what she was going to say to him, but as they got to the forest she realized she didn't really have an answer. "I'm sorry," she said finally as they stood together under the Goshinboku.

"Sorry?" he asked. He laughed bitterly, his hands still folded in his sleeves. "'Sorry' just doesn't excuse the fact that you lied." He pitched his voice a little bit and she could already tell they would escalate into a shouting argument. "'My name is Kagome, and I'm the only one of me!'"

She turned to him and glared at him with all her willpower. "It was just as much a shock to me to know that she's my sister!" she half-yelled. "I wasn't expecting to go home one day and be greeted with someone who looked more like Kikyou than I do!" She was altering the story a little to fit the sister story, but she knew it was necessary for him to believe their lie.

She felt horrible for having to lie to him, but she excused it by telling herself if she ever met him in her era, she would get on her hands and knees and beg his forgiveness. The fact that she found it highly unlikely that with his feud with Sesshoumaru he would survive to Kagome's time was dismissed immediately as that made her only feel worse. The two would probably die on each other's swords.

"You two act like you've spent a lifetime together!" Inuyasha said as if that mattered. Kagome wasn't actually sure what he was trying to say by that, and it gave the argument an unbalanced feel. She tried to read into the context of the statement, but even that didn't work. She thought that might be one of those things that would take years to understand the meaning of.

"So what?" she said. "We've spent a lot of time together recently, big deal! You're just jealous because I get along better with both of my siblings than you do with your only living family!" It was a low blow, and she hadn't meant to say it, but it popped out as hurtful things usually do in heated moments. It stunned him into taking a few steps backward.

"You really think so little of me. It makes me wonder why I ever bothered to care about what you thought." He unfolded his arms and tossed a small object at her; it was the bracelet she'd found in the lake just before coming across Kikyou. The item hit her cheek, and it caught, leaving behind a scratch that itched. "I've done a lot for you Kagome. I've protected you and rescued you and risked my neck for you."

"Well stop it!" she stamped her foot even though doing so made her feel like a child in a tantrum. "I don't need your protection for every little thing! Stop rescuing me. I'm the Guardian of the Jewel, right? If I can't do anything with you around, what about when we're not together in this time, when I've got to go back and stay back?"

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles as he usually did when he was irritated. "Fine! I won't lift a finger. But don't come crying to me when you foolishly get yourself killed—in fact, I think I'd just laugh if you did, and tell you I told you so!" He turned and stalked off toward the village again. She watched him go with narrowed eyes, feeling that sting in her nose that always came just before the tears.

"Fine!" her voice echoed loud enough to wake the country it seemed, "I—Don't—Care!" As soon as he was gone, she bent and picked up the bracelet. In the moonlight, she could see her blood on the tiny leaf-blade shaped metal parts, and glimmering as strongly as what was probably small diamonds ingrained into the metal.

How could he be so cruel to her? Then again, she had to question her own motives too; she wasn't exactly an innocent either. She could have stemmed their argument if she just told the truth, but instead the lie seemed better than the alternative truth.

She turned; ready to run back to the well and cry her eyes out in her own time, but a thought nearly choked her. "He expects me to run and hide!" she thought. He expected her to be a weakling and run to her mother and cry. He expected that she would then come back and apologize and beg for protection. Well, he would be thoroughly disappointed. She would show him just how strong she could be, and she would prove to herself that not only could she be as strong and useful as Kikyou in a battle, but she could be an opponent worth considering.

Instead of running, she stubbornly turned back and stomped toward the village with the bracelet clutched in her hand. "Besides," she thought logically. "With my luck, if I ran I'd probably end up somehow being mysteriously decapitated by Sesshoumaru, and I'd hate to give that guy fun, since he'd probably enjoy it."

**-- **

Kikyou ate her share of Mama's breakfast in silence, as usual and when she had finished she waited for Souta to finish getting ready for school. Mama pulled Kikyou aside as Souta ran back upstairs to get something he'd forgotten—his school workbooks—and smiled at Kikyou warmly, as Kikyou's mother never had. She said, "Kikyou-chan, you're doing so well here."

Kikyou nodded. "Yes, thank you for your aid." Kikyou looked at her hand with a frown. "What is this?"

Mama chuckled. "You don't need to come here every day right after school. Go out and make friends."

"You give me money to purchase friends?" Kikyou asked. "They cannot be bought, and Kagome is my friend. I have no need for another."

Mama smiled again, that warm smile. "We won't wait up for you. Why don't you go to the mall, or the park after school?" Kikyou nodded that she would, but only because she saw that Mama would be happy if Kikyou did it. Something inside Kikyou wanted to please the woman, like a daughter who wanted to be accepted.

**-- **

After school, Eri and the other girls cornered Kikyou in the halls as Kikyou was attempting to get her books out of her locker. Sometimes the locker liked to jam up, and while there was nothing she could really do to stop it, it still didn't mean it was fair. "Kiki-chan!" Eri called cheerfully. The three girls could recognize the difference between Kikyou and Kagome—Kikyou had straighter hair and her eyes were brown. Kagome's hair was curlier and her eyes were midnight blue.

Kikyou looked at Eri and the others, smiling tightly. She didn't like these girls; to her, they were simply ignorant of the world around them. Perhaps it wasn't their fault for being unaware in their youth, but when they were older they could have become skeptical—or should have been. There were students at this school that were demons, and usually a person with gold eyes should be looked at strangely. But no one thought much of it.

"Oh, hello." Kikyou said, directing her thin smile at them in hopes they would get the idea that she did not desire company.

"Hey, Kiki-chan!" said another of the girls. Kikyou didn't really even know the other two girls' names. It wasn't really on her priority list to find out either. "We're going to the mall tonight," the girl stated. "We thought it would be fun if you came with us. We could go see a movie."

"Oh, yeah!" said the third girl. Her head bobbed and her hair bounced. "One of Matenkashi-sama's old movies are rerunning."

Eri said, "How's Kagome-chan doing?" She changed the subject so abruptly that the other two almost did back-flips just to keep up.

This was something Kagome had told Kikyou to do. "Take over for Grandpa!" Kagome had said. "It's bad enough everyone thinks I'm sick all the time, but I don't want him to start saying I've got terminal illnesses or something like AIDS." Kagome had been very firm on that. "And if Grandpa says I'm sick with something, just tell people Grandpa is old and doesn't know what he's talking about!"

"Kagome is fine. She was feeling dizzy this morning and Mama told her to stay home. I have been taking her schoolwork to her," actually, Kikyou had just been gathering the homework into a pile on Kagome's desk, "and she should be back in no time." Kikyou had practiced the lines so many times in the mirror, just to be sure she felt comfortable saying the lie. Before meeting Kagome, she had never lied—priestesses were supposed to be honest and true to all, so Kikyou had never made lying a habit.

"That's good!" Eri said, but there was a suspicious look in her eye. Kikyou wondered if Eri noticed her lie, but then shook that feeling off. If she worried about getting caught, then she probably would. Now was the time for surety. "So, are you in on the movie?"

Kikyou smiled tightly once more. "No thank you. I was of the intent to stop at the bookstore after school. I have a lot of studying to do to catch up to where you all are." Kikyou had lied again—she was already so far ahead of them in her work that they would never catch her, but she really didn't want to go with these girls. It wasn't really Kikyou's fault that she was ahead either. She was just so bored without Kagome around that she would pick up her books and study to pass the time.

"Aw!" whined one girl, throwing her lip out in a pout. "Come on, Kiki-chan!" Kikyou again turned to attempt to open her locker. The sooner she got it open and her books out, the sooner she could go away from these annoying girls.

"Yeah! You can skip studying for _one_ day. I mean, it's not like you'll miss anything. The teachers know you just moved here. They won't be mad if you take one night off." Another girl urged.

Eri reached over, banging on the locker a few times. Like magic, the locker opened up. "I had that locker last year," Eri explained. "Well, we're off to the movies. If you get done studying early and want to come, the movie starts at seven thirty."

Eri began to drag the protesting other two girls away, and soon they were all immersed in discussion of how amazing 'Matenkashi-sama' was. Whoever that was. Kikyou watched them go for a moment before shaking her head. Girls from Kagome's time were so very odd. But then again, Kikyou thought, I never really liked the girls from my time either.

She pulled her books out and bent to put them in her messenger bag. "You should not bend over like that, Higurashi-san," teased a voice nearby. Kikyou immediately darted to an upright standing position and regretted it as her head hit the underside of the locker. Her books lay on the hall floor, nearly forgotten already in her embarrassment as she rubbed her head and pulled at the hem of her skirt.

"A thousand deaths," she muttered low, looking at the intruder. "Ah, you two again. Look, how many times must I say it? Kagome is unavailable." Hojou and Sasuke were on either side of her. It had been Hojou who had teased Kikyou, but the look on Sasuke's face made him equally as guilty, simply for being there, in her opinion.

Hojou held up his hands in defeat, grinning slightly. "Hey, I gave up. Bludgeon Sasuke for loving her hopelessly." Both of the boys seemed to kneel down to pick up her things at exactly the same moment, as if they were mirror images. Kikyou sighed heavily. All she really wanted to do was go home to the shrine, but she did tell Mama she would go to the mall for a while.

"What are you two up to?" Kikyou demanded, narrowing her stony face at them. They put her books into her messenger bag, then stood in unison again. Hojou held Kikyou's bag by the strap, slinging it over his shoulder.

"Well," Hojou said, looking at his friend for a second. "We might be upper classmen, but I know what you told those girls isn't true. You're smarter than them. All the teachers are saying it."

Sasuke nodded. "We were hoping you could help us, Higurashi-san." His eyes screamed 'pretty please with a chocolate covered cherry on top', and Kikyou did so love chocolate covered cherries… She didn't understand why, but she sighed. "Alright, what is it you need help with?"

The two boys immediately blurted out, "We have a history report that's killer!"

Hojou added, "The two of us got stuck with the single subject that just happens to be cursed."

Kikyou raised an eyebrow at them. Two pleading upperclassmen, begging her over a cursed history report subject? Of all the excuses… Sasuke immediately tried to fend off her skepticism. "But it's true! Everyone who has ever ended up with this particular subject has always failed."

"Plus," Hojou continued, "you live on a shrine, right? So you must know things that we wouldn't!"

"What's the topic?" Kikyou inquired, already preparing her 'no' speech. Crush them, she kept thinking. Men were nothing but trouble. A few fine examples were Inuyasha, Naraku, Onigumo, Sesshoumaru (yes, she'd heard of the arrogant demon), Miroku (the entire world knew of him)… She could probably name a few more.

"The Twilight Bracelet." The boys chorused.

"The…" she raised her other eyebrow. Of course, she knew of it. She'd never actually come into contact with the article, so she didn't know first hand the mystical powers it was rumored to have, but for them to be researching a mystical artifact like The Twilight Bracelet had her intrigued. "What class are you taking?"

"It's an elective." Hojou explained.

She sniffed her disdain. "I asked the class name."

"Oh!" Both of them blushed bright red. "History of Feudal Japan. The unit we're in is Mystical Items of the Fuedal Era, and our item to research is The Twilight Bracelet."

"Fine," Kikyou muttered. "But you better be grateful for me doing this. And if those annoying girls ask, you tell them you are tutoring me! The last thing I need is for them to drag me off for 'quality time'. I hate that." The boys grinned at each other. They clearly had no problem with that arrangement. "Meet me at the mall later, at the bookstore."

She took her bag from Hojou, finding that these two boys weren't half as bad as Kagome made them out to be. Kagome had said that Hojou was so dim. Perhaps that wasn't the case? Kikyou was intent on finding out, plus finding out about The Twilight Bracelet would be fun, she had no doubt about that.

"What time?" Hojou asked.

Kikyou thought for a moment. She didn't want to be in the mall all night, but then again she did want some time to find a few books of her own. "Six?" she offered.

They nodded before thanking her and rushing down the hall.

**-- **

It wasn't until Kikyou actually got to the mall that she realized it had more than one bookstore. There were eight, to be precise. Three of them were adult bookstores, so she ignored them and continued on. Another of them was an all-children's book store. Another was simply comics. That left three possible bookstores that Kikyou realized Sasuke and Hojou could possibly be waiting for her at.

Still, she figured it was their own fault for not realizing themselves that the mall was a giant complex of stores with more than one of everything. She wanted to find the bookstore that would suit her best, and what she was looking for wasn't in the history aisle, nor was it in the romance novels.

A bookstore called "Uki's Corner" had a little bit of everything from children's books to romance novels to history to essays and autobiographies to psychic phenomenon. She soon found herself on the floor between two shelves; her nose immersed in a book about psychic phenomenon, giggling at the way the book downplayed spirits, magic, demons, and enchanted items.

The shelf beside her extended from everything about psychic powers and how to tap into one's internal psyche to use the power to UFO sightings. The shelf in front of her was a boring, dusty old shelf of law books that probably would never see the light of day. Just a row over to her left was the children's aisle; that aisle had plush cushions for little kids to peruse as their parents searched the shelves.

Kikyou figured if Sasuke and Hojou were really serious about wanting to study, they would find her at six or shortly thereafter, and if she was kicked out of the bookstore before then for giggling and making noise, she could take her psychic phenomenon book elsewhere.

As she finished skimming the book to see if she would be interested in looking further into it, she set it on a growing pile of books, a massive grin on her face. By her calculations and at the price of books, with as much money that Mama gave her, she figured she could get at least seven books. She stood up, brushing her indecently short skirt into obedience before glancing at the shelf again, scanning the spines for something interesting.

Her hand hovered over a very interesting title. "Twilight Moon," she read, pulling the book off the shelf. She opened the book to start reading it, scanning the Preface. It first talked of acknowledgements for aid in the writing of the book. Then it talked of the creation of the Twilight Moon. She was about to start on chapter one, where it talked about mystical objects, the spells cast on them, and why they were created, but a small…something or other…barreled into her and in her surprise, she lost her balance.

"Taku!" a man's voice scolded quietly. "You need to stop running around corners."

Kikyou groaned slightly, not really paying attention to what had happened as much as she was grieving the bent corner of the book. She set it on her pile of books, swung her bag over her shoulder, then picked up the pile and turned to glare at the one who would disturb her reading time.

"I'm s…" the man's voice drifted away on winds that Kikyou couldn't see. She knew she was gaping, but she couldn't help it. The stack of books clattered one by one to the floor, and she found it very difficult to stand—or breathe, for that matter. His lips were moving, and he was looking right at her, but he showed no sign of recognition of her.

"Inuyasha," she breathed—only no sound came from her throat—desiring for this man to see her as she was before she died. Before she was reborn in the well.

He rubbed the back of his neck, picking up the young boy and swinging him onto his hip as a mother would. It was Inuyasha. She knew it was; everything was the same about him. She couldn't see his puppy ears, but she could sense the magic that hid them. She couldn't see the fangs or the claws, but the same magic was coated over his body.

No force on earth could keep her standing at that point. Her knees seemed just as good to balance on as her feet, and the next thing she knew she was on all fours, struggling to breathe as her heart cried out to tell the man before her who she really was. It could only be him! It could only be Inuyasha. Why didn't he recognize her? Why didn't he reach out and hold her like he once had so long ago, in secret, in a forest filled with those who wished both of them dead?

**-- **

She opened her eyes, finding a tiny gathering of faces staring down at her with mixtures of curiosity to worry to anxiety. "Is she going to be okay, Papa?" asked a small, squeaky voice. It came from a brown eyed, fluffy haired toddler of a boy whose nose was mere inches from Kikyou's.

Kikyou leveled her coldest glare at the child and it cried and disappeared from her line of vision. "I think so."

"Higurashi-san, are you alright?" That voice was recognizably Hojou's, which undoubtedly meant that Sasuke wouldn't be very far behind.

Bang on cue, Sasuke said, "Maybe illness runs in the family after all?"

Hojou said, "She hit her head, Sasuke. That's just _clumsy_."

A woman stated, "Everything will be okay. Miss, we've called an ambulance. Try not to move. You hit your head pretty hard."

Contrary to what she was told, Kikyou moved her hand to touch her head. She came back with blood, but Kagome had made Kikyou swear that if she got injured she wouldn't use her power to heal herself. Kikyou wanted Kagome's approval, so she held herself back from healing the laceration even though it stung.

"How did I… knock my head?" Kikyou asked.

Gold eyes looked at Kikyou, a mixture of confusion and worry swirling in them. "My son bumped into you and you fell over, hitting your head on the shelf. I tried to tell you to stay still, but you kept moving."

Kikyou remembered that face, and those eyes. She felt a smile cross her features. "Inuyasha," she whispered, and his eyes widened. Why was he surprised? He should know better; she could not forget him in death, so why in life would she forget him? She watched his face come closer. He was kneeling by her now.

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

She felt a foolish grin cross her features. "Do not be so naïve," she told him. "I could never forget you."

He blinked, looked at the others around Kikyou, and then his face became even more puzzled. She saw his nose twitching, but she knew he would never find the smell he was looking for: the stench of death and clay. He wouldn't find it, because she was flesh and blood now.

But then again, she thought, maybe the secret was better kept. So she stopped talking, preferring the idea that she didn't have to unsay something never said.

It was hardly moments later that she felt herself being lifted off the ground. "Oh!" she gasped. "My books!" The paramedic assured her that they would be fine where they were and a strange mask was put over her face. She saw the ceiling moving and knew it was only logical that it moved because she did. Then there was flashing lights and sky. Then the inside of a vehicle.

"No!" she said. "I won't go in this abomination!" she tried to get out of the vehicle, to get away from these people who would put her in it. She didn't know how it happened, but all the energy seemed to be sucked away from her body and her conscious mind fell asleep.

**-- **

When Kikyou woke again, she felt like her head was wrapped in a sock. Further examination proved that bandages covered one half of her head. She knew why she was wearing the bandages. She'd fallen and hit her head. She'd seen Inuyasha at that moment too, which was why her heart suddenly began to race once more. She did so much want to see him again.

"Ah, Kikyou-chan, how are you feeling?" Kikyou turned and saw Mama's worried face smiling down at her, so much like a mother that it was almost frightening. "I came as soon as Hojou-kun called! Are you alright?"

Kikyou chuckled at Mama. "I'm alright, Mama," she said, then blushed to the roots of her hair. "Forgive me, Miss Higurashi. I took a liberty," Mama shook her head dismissively.

"Kikyou-chan, you don't have to be so stiff!" she scolded lightly. "I don't really enjoy being called 'Miss Higurashi' by someone who looks exactly like my daughter anyway." She sighed. "Well, I just can't believe how hard you hit your head, all because a toddler bumped you. Six stitches! I will be having a word with that boy's father, I'll have you know."

Kikyou's blush did not repress at that statement. "You do not need to," she started.

Mama cut her off with a stern motherly look. "Of course I do!" she stated as if it were completely obvious. "Such terrible young ruffians, running all about in a bookstore! What kind of parent lets their child race around like that?" She started muttering, sounding almost like Kikyou did as she cursed every body part of the creator of short-skirts.

"I will be fine. You need not," Mama didn't even hear Kikyou that time.

Mama stood, slapping a fist to her open palm as though she had the greatest thought in the world. "I'm going to find out who that man was!" she said before marching off. She was gone a few minutes before Kikyou wondered if she could get up yet. She wasn't attached to any cords or anything, but that bandage was on her head still.

She was contemplating what might happen to her if she were to just leave the bed. She wasn't covered either, simply lying atop the sheets. Her school uniform was still on, so she figured she must have just been put where she was until whatever sedative they gave her had worn off. She was grateful they knocked her out.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She looked toward where Mama had left out of. A very recognizable man stood in the doorway with a boy clinging nervously to his pant-leg. She smiled at him, but wondered why he had come. Then she realized it must be to apologize. He didn't recognize her, for some reason. It was possible he forgot after all those years what she looked like.

Five hundred years was a very long time, after all.

"I do believe an apology is underway," Kikyou said lightly, as if they were talking over tea and not in a hospital room with her injured as she was.

The little boy gulped and followed Inuyasha into the room. Inuyasha stopped by the bed and set a parcel next to her knees, then looked down at the boy. "Taku?" he inquired.

The boy already had tears in his black, beady eyes. "Sorry won't fix your head, but I didn't mean to hurt you." She recognized his aura quickly to be one of a half-breed, and yet there were no similarities at all to Inuyasha. That led Kikyou to believe that the two of them, while Inuyasha had said something about "son" before, this boy was not related by blood.

Taku's long, narrow nose, oval face, and gaunt features gave him the appearance of a rat, and the black eyes and hair only aided that. He reached up onto the bed and grabbed Kikyou's arm. "But," Taku said, sounding very genuine in his apology, "I want you to get better. You look like a nice lady, and Papa"—Inuyasha looked at Taku with surprise, like the boy was saying something he hadn't anticipated—"could use a friend other than Taku."

It was Inuyasha's turn to be embarrassed, and Kikyou wasn't disappointed. He turned red straight to the roots of his long silver hair. "Taku," Inuyasha said, but the boy pointedly ignored him and turned away, humming a tune only he knew. Inuyasha looked apologetically at Kikyou. "I'm very sorry about that."

Kikyou said, "It is alright. Children are eccentric creatures. One never knows what they will do next."

Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Anyway… Here. Since it's my fault Taku was running and knocked you over, you didn't get the opportunity to purchase your books." He picked the parcel he'd brought up and handed it to her. She pulled the cover off when it became apparent that was what he was waiting for.

"Thank you," she tilted her head in acknowledgement, wishing only to tell him who she was and forgo thanking him for the gift. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. It wouldn't have been fair to Kagome if Kikyou could be with the one who both girls loved. "The Twilight Moon book," Kikyou muttered when she saw it wasn't there.

"Another customer saw it before I could grab the books." Inuyasha explained. "They didn't have another copy of it, and Uki's Corner is the only bookstore I know that supports local authors." He grinned ruefully and she wondered why he was so flustered.

"Local authors?" Kikyou asked. "I hadn't paid much attention to who wrote the book."

He nodded. "I mean within the general district of the city when I say local. But I can get you a copy. I could probably even get it signed—I know the author."

Kikyou shook her head. "You don't have to do that. But thank you for the offer, and for the books."

He nodded again. "No problem." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, dragging from its confines a battered old business card that definitely had seen better days. "If you change your mind about the book, feel free to stop by any time during the day."

She read the label on the card. "Twilight Jewelers?" The name sounded vaguely familiar. She looked sharply at Inuyasha, or to where he had once stood at any rate, and found that he had gone. His and Taku's aura were disappearing out of her sensing range already, so he'd probably beat a hasty retreat.

Mama came back into the room, looking irritated. "No one will tell me what that darn man's name was!" she huffed. She then noticed the box of books in Kikyou's lap, and the card in her hand. "What's all this?" she asked.

Kikyou smiled at Mama's concern. "That darn man came to apologize, and he purchased the books I was looking at for me." Mama's lips formed an 'o' shape and she looked thoughtful. She reached out in a silent plea to see the card. Kikyou handed it over; she saw no harm in it.

"Matenkashi, hm? Twilight Jewelers? Now I know where and who he is." She stuck the card into the box and lifted it up.

Kikyou thought she meant to take the books back. She sat up out of the bed and carefully grasped Mama's wrist. "Please, don't take them back!" she begged.

Mama looked at her with surprise apparent on her face. "Take them back?" she clucked. "I'm not so harsh. I'm only carrying them. But we will be stopping there. I won't be satisfied until I have properly scolded this man for his son's behavior."

"It was my fault," Kikyou bit her lip to stop herself from arguing. With every passing day, it was harder to remember that she wasn't a normal girl, but everyone wanted to treat her like one. No one knew she was a priestess, fated to protect humans from evil.

Mama said, "Come along then, Kikyou-chan."

And very soon, Mama found out about Kikyou's distinct fear of vehicles. It shoved any scolding right out of her mind for the time being, not that she wouldn't still give the man a piece of her mind, of course. But for now, it would wait until a later date.

**-- **

"You did what?" Kagome demanded of Sango the next day. Sango was blushing to the roots of her hair, looking a little more than flustered. Kagome could hardly believe her ears. Sango kept trying to insist it wasn't like Kagome thought, that 'Miroku and Sango gave birth to a baby,' wasn't actually how it sounded.

Kagome had returned to the hut the night before, and for a few minutes Inuyasha looked tense and surprised as if he had expected her to run away, get kidnapped (maimed or killed), and he would have to come rescue her again. But she wasn't stupid. After flouncing around in the feudal era for so long, she'd developed a little common sense, that being 'run away is equal or greater to bad'.

"It's really not what you think, Kagome-chan!" Sango insisted. "See, we--"

Kagome shook her head and looked at the perverted grin on Miroku's face. He was really doing nothing to help Sango, which was very suspicious indeed. Inuyasha threw in a comment, even, "It sounds to me like you did!" he said.

"But that's not," Sango gulped, looked around, then said abruptly, "I would have a child with Sesshoumaru before Miroku!" She looked very upset, and instantly did the cliche 'run off while upset' thing that Kagome had almost done the night before. Really, Sango had grown up in this era, so common sense should have been natural to her!

Still, for Sango to yell about having a demon's child before Miroku's was definitely a blow to Miroku's confidence. His perverted grin disappeared instantly and it was almost unnoticeable but he leaned on his staff with a little less fervor for continuing the day.

Kagome put a hand to shade her eyes, watching Kirara disappear into the sky. "She does know we were teasing, right?" She asked the others. Inuyasha made the customary 'keh' noise before beginning to stalk off. He was still not talking to Kagome, it seemed. That didn't bother Kagome in the slightest. If he wanted to act like a spoiled puppy, that was his problem.

"Come on, Miroku." Kagome said, taking off after Inuyasha.

Miroku followed her, and Shippou jumped from Kagome's bike basket to Miroku's shoulder. "Cheer up, Miroku." Shippou said. Miroku glared at Shippou and the fox cub squeaked and instantly jumped back into the basket. Miroku could be scary when depressed.

A little later that day, Miroku said his first words of the afternoon. "What is that bracelet, Kagome-sama?" he asked.

Kagome looked at the bracelet she'd found that Inuyasha had somehow restored to its former glory. It sparkled in the afternoon light. "It's the one Inuyasha stole from me. I don't want to keep it in my bag. It just looks so fragile."

Miroku fell silent again after that.

It was especially surprising that Sango didn't come back for a long time--several weeks in fact--and that worried Kagome greatly. However, she couldn't bring herself to question Sango's obviously extended vacation from the group since she took them too.

Nothing truly interesting happened on this trip back to the past. Kouga stopped a few times to say hello and call Kagome 'his woman' a few times or more. It was obvious that Inuyasha had a hard time biting back cruel remarks, but Kagome had stated in no uncertain (but very angry) terms that she didn't want his protection anymore.

They picked up a few leads that led into dead ends in the way of Naraku. Finally Kagome's 'endless' backpack of supplies hit the bottom. They were forced to return to Kaede's village (even Inuyasha agreed that Ramen was in order) so Kagome could restock.

"I'll be back next Friday," Kagome said. It was more for Inuyasha's sake that she said it. Sango still hadn't returned. Kagome was still worried about her, but still wouldn't point out Sango's absence--especially with a moody and depressed Miroku in hearing range. Inuyasha looked grateful that she said it without his asking (he still wasn't talking to her, surprisingly after a whole month he hadn't said one word).

Kagome turned to make the walk to the well from Kaede's village by herself. Inuyasha surprisingly enough started to follow her. Miroku and Shippou stayed at the village. At the well, Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's arm before she could make the jump. "I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" Kagome asked, perplexed.

His response was, "For not believing in you. For thinking of you as a nusiance. For giving you so little credit... You know, you can stop me any time now," he drawled.

She smirked at him, feeling truly wicked. "I know."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then got annoyed when his fingers got stuck in tangles. "Look, what I mean to say is that I want to fix things. You're the closest thing I got to a friend. The others can't understand. Me, I mean." his hand slid from her arm to grip her wrist. "I know I can't be with you, no matter how much I want to be. And I can't be with Kikyou either, because you've given me a passion for living."

She blushed profusely at his admittal. "Uh, passion?" It seemed like such a strong word, but really it was just a word. He put his free hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga. "Oh," she thought, getting stronger. He wanted to be strong.

"Kagome... when its over, I'm never going to see you again. But you're right. You're the guardian of the jewel, and it would be real sad to think that you can't protect yourself when I'm not around." He looked like the very thought of his not being there scared him. It scared her too. "So when you come back, I just want you to know I'm going to have a sword waiting--"

Excitement instantly took hold of Kagome and she threw herself at her friend, planting a kiss on his cheek. His ears twitched and he didn't know how to react at first, but then he put his hands around her waist and hugged her back. "Oh, thank you!" Then, she thought aloud, "You are going to teach me to use it, right?" It would look really silly to walk around with a sword she didn't know how to use, and offensive to those who had swords and could use them.

He laughed and simply hugged her, not giving her a response. This was true friendship, Kagome thought. He had as good as admitted that he cared for her not as a reincarnation of a past love, but as a friend who he cared for deeply. It brought cheer to her otherwise hidden sadness. It wouldn't always be like this. She wouldn't always be able to be happy. He didn't know what she knew, what the fates had in store for her. But she had a pretty good idea.

* * *

**End.**


	7. What comes with rain

**Title****: Kagome and Sesshoumaru starring in...**  
Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I am not in ownership of "Inuyasha".

* * *

_

Chapter seven: What Comes With Rain

The rain made for a long night where Sesshoumaru couldn't sleep. He always spent rainy nights awake, trying to remember a face he'd forgotten so long ago. He knew it was a woman's face. He couldn't remember her voice, or her smell, or the feel of her hand insistently touching his. He could remember that she always insisted on standing out on the balcony with him in the rain and some part of her had to always be touching him.

It was strange, but he could remember some things about her, but had actually forgotten almost everything about her. He remembered she had come to him alone, with nothing for protection except a sword she barely knew how to wield and a fiery attitude that he could remember put him so far on edge he wanted to either strangle her or else thank her profusely for not being cowardly like every other creature he'd ever known.

Tonight, he'd gone onto the balcony he'd once stood with _her_. He let the rain soak his bare back and torso, and the pajama pants he wore, and his hair to hang wet and the rain to splash his face. He could feel her aura as it seemed to embrace him from a distant part of the city. How was it even possible for her aura to have returned? He didn't know; she died a long time ago.

But he could feel it there, a month or so ago, for the first time in half a century. And it was almost worse because her aura disappeared shortly after that. It was one of the few things he could remember about her. Her aura was always so wild, and irritating her was always so easy. But even though he'd found he enjoyed making her annoyed, she always seemed so one-sided. Sure, she was easily annoyed. But she seemed to take nothing serious.

She only spent a very short time with him, but he'd changed because of her. He'd changed drastically. It was like she knew him from the inside out before she even came to him. When she first came to him, he was simply going to run her through the gut and be done with her. Something—he couldn't remember what it was—stopped him. And when she was to leave him, he hated her for it.

The rain always brought her to mind, but he never let himself remember her completely. It had been five hundred long years, and he'd been upset that she died and he couldn't bring her back, so he had done all he possibly could to repress those memories of her. Most of them were gone, locked in some recess of his mind. No one had ever known he'd cared for her, probably not even her, so he kept her a secret.

Not even Jaken, his personal retainer that followed him nearly everywhere, and Rin who could not be shaken off, knew of the secret. He closed his eyes, letting the rain wash his body and plaster his hair to his face, neck, and back. Cold winds whipped at him, chilling his entire body.

Her aura, in its wild, free way, couldn't be pinpointed. But even this far away, it was so huge, so filled with untapped potential that he could feel it. He sighed then, and reentered the bedroom, closing the balcony door. He shed his wet pajama pants and put on new, dry ones.

He rang his wet hair out over the stone floor before he crawled into his bed, remembering how for a while, she too had stayed there. Except at the time, the bed had been nothing but a rat-eaten futon on the floor, and he had watched her sleep from the other side of the room, puzzling over her.

He closed his eyes again, resting his head on the pillow. Sesshoumaru had decided he needed a castle. Rin was growing up, and annoying though it was, she couldn't continue to travel across the country. She had to settle down. So Sesshoumaru had gone alone in search of a suitable place for her to live. Sesshoumaru preferred to wander freely and sleep outside, since he always felt enclosed in walls and unprotected.

He'd found a mansion that had been abandoned some years before. It wasn't a dream home, but it provided shelter, and there was a village nearby that Sesshoumaru found would be easy to torture the villagers into fixing the mansion up. Up until then, the village had been lord-less.

And then she came. It was raining that night, and she claimed she was searching for shelter. That was what she said to him, anyway. But when she left him, he asked again why she would have entered the ruins of a mansion knowing a powerful aura was inside. He remembered she smiled, and wished now he could remember what it looked like.

She removed the space between them and he remembered her words but not the voice that spoke them. "Sesshoumaru," she had said, dropping her yellow pack to the ground. Again she seemed to need to touch him, because she put her arms around his neck and stood on her tip-toes. "I came knowing it was you."

That was when all time seemed to stop. She kissed him, knowing he could kill her without a second thought. At the time, he wanted to kiss her right back. It somehow seemed like the thing to do. But he managed not to, knowing logically that he couldn't and still live with himself. She had cried as she pulled away and grabbed her bag again. "Don't forget me," she said before she took off.

Sleep was impossible at that point. It had been impossible before then, but now nothing would put him down. She had laughed as she cried. So what point had the tears really had? What point did crying make if she wasn't unhappy?

Somehow as he remembered what little bit he would allow himself, it seemed so cliché. He, Sesshoumaru, a ruthless, cold-hearted, killing perfection… In front of her, he felt naked, even though for all intents and purposes, he was wearing more than her. She was aware of parts of him that he'd tried to forget, or that no one but he knew.

And since it was just him and her, and the fact that no one would have believed it if she told them, he'd loosened up, forgetting their differences in species and he just listened to her or responded in turn. It just…bothered him so much, that he couldn't remember what about her stopped him from killing her. But five hundred years of repression made it harder to recall the memories, and he wasn't entirely certain he wanted to know.

He tossed and turned for several hours that night, trying to remember and yet, also trying not to. He listened to the rain as it beat down on the large mansion, echoing inside the inner complex until he wanted to scream, except he didn't. Finally he got up, unable to stand it anymore. He was always the only occupant of the mansion unless Inuyasha came. Even Jaken, still alive after all the years, had settled down with a family.

Sesshoumaru settled himself on a plush cushion in his library and opened a book that he probably wouldn't manage to read a word of. She had told him to build a giant library, so he had. It sheltered thousands of books, tomes, and scrolls in all languages. She said she really liked libraries, and reading. He had been surprised; not many humans even knew how to read or write. He supposed he had simply assumed she couldn't either.

Some of the things he had talked to her about, he'd forgotten by now. In fact, most of the things they had talked about were now just repressed memories of someone he had let live and yet did not die by his hand. It was almost the worst parting, he thought. For someone to have died, but he wasn't the blame. It was like Rin, who died in childbirth.

Jaken still often apologized profusely for the way that had happened. Sesshoumaru had left Rin with Jaken to go off and do something he felt was important or needed doing. Jaken wasn't truly protection for anyone, but Sesshoumaru had taken Ah-Uhn with him, knowing that. The two had been ambushed by humans without Sesshoumaru's protection, and Rin was dragged off and raped.

Sesshoumaru hadn't known of the event until months later, when her growing belly became too large to hide. He knew nothing of humans and their monthlies, and Rin was only twelve or so at the time. Other than having Rin bring the child to term and then killing it when it was born, Sesshoumaru knew no other way to get rid of it. Rin had been devastated that he had to find out. She kept promising him that she was a good girl and never wanted it.

And even though men were forbidden in the birthing room, no human mid-wife would help Rin because she associated with demons and they were sure the child to be a half-breed, Sesshoumaru's blood in other terms, and no demon healer would help Rin because she was human and also thought the child to be of Sesshoumaru's descent. Sesshoumaru believed it was his fault for being present during the birth that killed Rin. He had jinxed it.

But he and Jaken had tried to do what they could to help ease the process for Rin. In the end, she was crying out in pain, bleeding everywhere, feverish, and saying, "Why couldn't it be you?" over and over. He'd thought about those words for hundreds of years. He actually didn't know what Rin had been trying to say, but he had come up with a guess that he hated thinking about. Rin had been in love with him. She had wanted to be to him, what Izayoi had been to Sesshoumaru's father.

And yet, it wasn't the same as if he had plunged his own hand in her chest and tore her heart out. He ended up helpless, with a scared girl who for once had not been smiling. The baby was born and healthy, but Rin died. She'd had a baby girl. This had all happened after Naraku had been defeated, and after Sesshoumaru had chosen the place were Rin could live. _She_ had said Rin would love it, but Rin never got to live in it after it was fixed.

Sesshoumaru had even shed tears for her, though only Jaken would ever know. Jaken had begged Sesshoumaru to bring Rin to life again. But the sword would not obey the call from its Master. It kept saying it could return life only once.

Even now, thinking with the rain pouring down on the large mansion, Sesshoumaru felt moisture and pressure building up in his eyes. Why? Why Rin, and why then? He could easily have tortured some human mid-wife until she caved and helped Rin. And if any of the villagers tried to save her, or attacked him, he could have easily thwarted their attacks and made diced meat of them all.

Sesshoumaru threw the book away from him. He could barely see the page now, and he realized he had been holding the stupid thing upside down anyway. Pain was supposed to lessen in time, but it was like he was the only exception to the rule. He was sure that he wasn't the only one who felt pain, and logically everyone who felt pain probably thought they were the only ones suffering. But was it fair? No, of course it wasn't. No one ever thought it was fair.

That was life, wasn't it?

Annoyed, he got up and left the library, prowling the mansion. He could remember taking Rin's child in his only arm, though it was difficult and the child was so fragile. He had Jaken load Rin's body onto Ah-Uhn; they were going to have a burial for her. Sesshoumaru remembered trying to think what to do with the little scrap of human life. He had told Rin the child was to be killed; looking at it, he found he could not. It would be inexplicably easy.

Instead, he took the little girl, and not really thinking at all, he went in search of a female. Any female. He found one only a few hours later, having left Jaken far behind. She was alone, bathing, and cleaning blood from armor. He recognized her as one of Inuyasha's companions. He caught her off guard.

Sesshoumaru leaned on the corridor wall of the mansion, trying to will the night away. Would it help if he just chopped his head off? Or fell on his sword? He had the ironic feeling that if he did that, he would be stuck with these memories.

The woman, Sesshoumaru never learned her name, barely missed a beat in time, and the moment she noticed him she had her katana in her hand and prepared herself, even though she was waist deep in the water of a hot spring. The child was wrapped in Sesshoumaru's haori, freezing, hungry, and blue-lipped. The woman paused for consideration when she heard the child's cries.

She asked what he wanted. His request was simple. "Take it." He indicated the child with a nod of her head. He bent and left the child on the ground, still wrapped in his haori. He could easily get a new one. The child had needed it more than him. He didn't wait to know what she would do with the child. Hopefully she killed it. He'd always wondered, but soon so many years had passed, and the woman was dead. No one could answer him on the whereabouts of the child, if it had survived or been killed.

Soon, Sesshoumaru found himself in his study, just near the mansion's front entrance. A clock on the wall told him it was four AM. What was the point of sleep now? He would just have to get up soon anyway. He pulled open a drawer in the desk, pulling out some paper and a ball-point pen.

The clock on the wall chimed the fifth hour of the morning away wih the sound of hissing cats. Being the joker he was, Shippou thought that Sesshoumaru needed a clock with twelve different cat noise chimes. Shortly after the clock chimed, Sesshoumaru heard his front door unlocking and then open. Whoever had come in fumbled around in the darkened hall for the door's security alarm control panel, and disarmed it, then Sesshoumaru heard it being reset.

Sesshoumaru looked around him. He was in the dark still, drawing simply by the fact that he could see in the dark and by the lightning crashing in periodically. It made for a rather sick, twisted picture, scary even for him. It had no human or demon depicted in it. It was a landscape, dark shadowed trees, lands covered in death, rivers of blood.

He sniffed the air; he smelled wet dog. Blood, and wet. He got up. Thunder shook the entire house and echoed through it. Inuyasha didn't notice his approach. He was too busy fumbling with the zipper of a child's rain coat. Inuyasha was soaked through, and his adopted son was asleep standing up.

Sesshoumaru flipped the light on in the main entry hall. Inuyasha was startled momentarily, looking at Sesshoumaru with wide, bruised eyes. He had a bloodied nose, and the charm that usually made his demon traits disappear was broken. Sesshoumaru didn't ask questions. "I'll get you some dry clothes." he said. He made his way back upstairs and entered his room. He pulled clothes out at random, a shirt for the kid and a shirt and some pajama pants for Inuyasha.

Inuyasha had made his way to his old bedroom. That was where Sesshoumaru found him. He gave Inuyasha the clothes and went to the library again. He picked the book up that he'd attempted reading earlier and once more made a futile effort toward starting. Inuyasha joined him shortly after that, slouching on a plush pile of pillows. Inuyasha had cleaned himself up, but it didn't make him look much better.

"She took a bat to my car when I said I was leaving." Inuyasha said suddenly.

"Divorce," Sesshoumaru said, "is an option. You may stay here as long as needed. After all, it isn't like I have a true need for privacy." Sesshoumaru never had women around, really. They bore him, since all they wanted--demon and human alike these days--was the money and fame associated by him.

"I'll get out of your hair as soon as I can." Sesshoumaru thought it was more likely that Inuyasha would need extensive help at moving out to live on his own. Despite the half-breed's independence, he was going to have a very difficult time trying. "Soon as she calms down, I'll go back."  
Unacceptable. But what could Sesshoumaru do about it? It was his brother's life. Not his.

The grandfather clock in the library chimed the sixth hour, so Sesshoumaru got up yet again, suddenly feeling as if all the energy in his body disappeared. But he had to go to work. It was a three hour drive. "You know to stay out of my quarters. Make sure the kid knows as well." Inuyasha nodded. Sesshoumaru wanted to tell his brother that things would get better, but he couldn't believe that himself. The rain kept memories from being settled. One might escape from them physically, but mentally... _she_ was there, just barely at the edge of his mind, just enough of her to remember, but not enough to give him peace of mind.

"Something bothering you, Sess?" Inuyasha called as Sesshoumaru neared the door.

Sesshoumaru paused in his steps, feeling the glazed, distant look on his face but unable to do anything about it. "No," he said. Something wrong? Of course not...

**-- **

"Oh, my whole body hurts." Kagome whined to Kikyou as the other girl woke her up.

Kikyou looked at the pile of homework on the desk. It had grown significantly over the span of one month, and Kagome had literally screamed bloody murder at the top of her lungs when she saw that pile, and then decided it would be in her best interests to skip dinner that night and use the time on her homework.

"It might not hurt so much if you had slept in your bed as any properly brought up woman would." Kikyou said, indicating the hard wooden chair and the position that Kagome had fallen asleep at her desk in. To top off the uncomfortable sleeping position, she was lacking in the amount of sleep she had because it had thundered and rained and all the flashing lightning kept her awake, yet not enough to get much of her homework done.

"Kikyou, dear," Mama called up the stairs, as cheerful as the most pepped up morning person could be. "Your friends are here. Be a dear and wake up Kagome on your way down, please?"

Kagome slouched on her desk again and glared half-heartedly at the pile of homework she was beginning to think of as evil. "Be a dear and pretend I died in my sleep," Kagome moaned. "It's good you made friends while I was away."

Kikyou poked Kagome. "I have to tell you something, Kagome."

"Kikyou, your friends are waiting for you!" Mama called up the stairs again.

"You can tell me later," Kagome said, yawning as she moved the short distance to her bed. "For the next twelve hours, I think I can be officially termed as 'deceased'..." another yawn seized her and she was quickly asleep, ignorant to Kikyou's protests the news was important.

Not even shaking Kagome would work, so when Mama called for Kikyou again, she reluctantly went downstairs. Mama said, "Kagome?" Kikyou shook her head and Mama heaved a great sigh and retreated into the kitchen.

"Hey, Kikyou." Sasuke said, looking intensely intimidated by grandpa's hovering with glue-happy ofudas. Hojou looked less intimidated by grandpa and instead smiled at Kikyou. "Thanks for meeting us on a Sunday." The report hadn't, as yet, gone well. Sasuke and Hojou had asked for an extension on their project and their teacher took pity on them and gave it to them, but it felt only as though they were prolonging the inevitable failure. Kikyou almost thought the subject could be cursed after all their hard work was turning up nothing.

"We will do some more researching at the library." Kikyou told them.

Sasuke said, "But we already went through all of the library books at school, like seven times!"

"No," Kikyou shook her head. "It dawned on me that the school library is so limited. I talked briefly to Kagome last night, and she said to try the public ones."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot those; there's one just a few blocks from school, too. I go by it every day." Hojou added.

**-- **

When Mama woke Kagome up near suppertime, Kikyou hadn't returned yet. With Kikyou going out all the time with her new friends, Mama had purchased a cheap cell phone plan for the family. She gave one phone to Souta and told him he better be careful not to lose it. She gave one to Kikyou and had to teach Kikyou how to use it and what it was. The device intimidated Kikyou, but the girl saw it had its uses and promised to keep it with her.

Mama had kept one of the phones for her and Grandpa to share, and then the fourth phone was for Kagome, though Mama also knew she would have to tie it to her to be sure she didn't lose it. Kagome was good with not losing some things, but those items were precious few and included the jewel shards, a bow that was too large to be misplaced, and her old yellow pack.

Kikyou had called and said she was still at the library just a few minutes ago and that she and the boys would eat supper at Hojou's house since it was closer. Kikyou had given Hojou's parent's phone number to verify where they were going if she wanted to, but Mama trusted Kikyou more than she probably would if it were Kagome. Even since Kagome was a little girl, she had been so secretive. Kikyou told the truth, whether or not it hurt her or the one hearing it.

Kagome opened her eyes blearily, seeing her mother's smiling features looking down at her. "Kikyou told me you did an all-nighter," Mama said kindly. "I worry about the day when you go off to college. You'll never sleep."

Kagome groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Don't remind me of college. When I think of all I have to do before then, I get sick," her mother didn't know how serious Kagome was about that. Kagome thought about the day Mistress Centipede pulled the jewel from her, and the prophetic images she had seen in the span of a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, dear. I know it seems like a lot of work now, but it pays off. Once the jewel is completed, you'll be able to concentrate on your schoolwork full time." If I'm alive, Kagome thought bitterly, but she hid those terrible thoughts. They would only make her mother worry, and it wouldn't be fair to do that to her mother who wanted only for her happiness. Mama supported her no mater what she did, despite that it probably hurt her more than anything to watch her daughter go off into danger's embrace and come home usually looking like she had faced down death.

And yet, Kagome found the energy to smile wasn't too much to handle, even though she sometimes found smiling a grueling task. She could still do it. She felt like she could love Kikyou forever for her help; taking half of the burdening weight of the jewel was more than she could have ever asked for.

"Dear, why don't you come down and eat?" Mama said. "Your mail has been building up, and Souta has been complaining he's hungry. I swear, you'd think he'd been starved! He just ate an entire loaf of bread and chocolate spread not an hour ago." Mama pat Kagome's arm encouragingly. "Up, up, up!"

"Chocolate spread?" Kagome perked up. "You mean, that yummy hazelnut stuff that's like peanut butter, except better? We have some?"

Mama chuckled forlornly. "We _had_ some."

Kagome groaned. "That kid's gonna get it." She felt like cracking her knuckles in a menacing way, but Mama hated the sound so she refrained. Kagome got out of bed and trailed after her mother, toward the smell of home-cooking. Mama set a pile of mail with Kagome's name on it in Kagome's dinner place. "Wow, that's a lot of mail," Kagome said.

Mama rummaged through the cupboard for the dinnerware and began setting the table. Out of habit, she set Kikyou's place, just like she did for Kagome when Kagome was in the feudal era. Just in case Kagome should come back suddenly, starving, in the middle of dinner.

"Most of it seems to be from colleges," Mama said.

"Colleges?" Kagome said, surprised. "I never expected my entrance essays would be looked at. I only wrote them because Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka dared me to." She picked up one and tore it open. She was surprised by what it said. "What the," she muttered, knowing a troubled look came across her face. "It's a letter of acceptance!"

Mama smiled. "Congratulations, Kagome. Where's this from?"

"Osaka University." She opened another letter, and her puzzlement only deepened. "And another letter of acceptance from Okinawa University! Mama, my grades are terrible and my record of attendance is just wretched. This doesn't make sense."

"Sometimes life hands you chocolates," Mama said wisely. "The best thing to do next is to make sure you're not allergic to coconut."

Kagome's nose wrinkled in confusion. "Mama," she said, "I've known I am since I was four and got into your baking supplies."

Mama laughed. "Oh, I remember that." Kagome didn't think it was quite as funny a memory. Her throat had swelled up, and she had to be taken to the hospital because she was suffocating. The worst part was that at that precise moment, Mama had gone into labor with Souta, and Grandfather had been away visiting a friend. Kagome couldn't remember where her father had been at the time.

Kagome kept opening her mail, no longer bothering to look at the 'from' address. "Another acceptance letter from Tokyo University, and two community colleges nearby, and..." it dawned on her. Kikyou was gaining a record. "I think they're mixing me and Kiki-chan up."

Mama picked up one of the letters. She read it over. "Dear Miss Higurashi," Mama read, "We understand the tender issue of your health..." She picked up another letter and read an almost identical statement from it. Then she said, "No, sweetie, I'm pretty confident they know who you are."

"Great!" Kagome said with an enthusiasm she didn't feel. She was smart enough to get into school, apparently, but her impending death would prevent any assured future from coming about. How cruel fate was to her. Tempting and teasing her with snippets of what she could have had.

She tore open several offers from credit card companies, then tore them up because she didn't want or need to accrue financial debt. The last letter in the pile, she tore open and read, "Thank you for entering your application into the raffle. You will recieve a letter in two to three weeks stating who won." It was signed by an important looking chicken-scratch.

"Oh, you entered a raffle?" Mama asked.

"No." Kagome said. "At least, I don't think I did..." Was she doing things without realizing it now? If she was, that was bad.

Mama looked over her shoulder. "Oh, Myansee Movie Productions! That raffle is all over the news. I used to never like their movies, because they were so violent. But Souta wanted to watch Tyrant King Alecsandar. The young man who played King Alecsandar--oh, what was his name? I'm not sure. He was definitely a handsome young man, though."

"Mama got scared in the theater when Alecsandar's son chopped his head off too! It looked freaky real," Souta said as he plopped down at the table. "Blood spurted everywhere. It was awesome!"

"They were picking names today at noon. Whoever gets picked gets to be in the movie." Mama added. "I would have entered myself, but there was an age limit of eighteen to twenty-four. I'd say people still lied about their ages." She went to the kitchen door and called out for grandpa. "Grandpa! Dinner is ready!"

"So you entered?" Souta asked.

"Apparently," Kagome groaned.

"I didn't think you'd do something like that," Souta added as an afterthought.

"Me neither." She laughed ironically. "With my luck lately," she joked, "I'd probably win." She was not pleased with herself. How could she do this and have no recollection of it?

After dinner, Kagome locked herself in her room and once more spent the night studying. After sleeping all day, she had a lot of energy to expend. But when she woke up at her desk again and the pile of homework was still large and laughing at her, she felt like something needed kicking. Instead, she washed away study-sweat in the shower, and got ready for school, cramming as much into her pack as possible.

Mama was downstairs cooking breakfast. Kikyou was eating already, quietly and with a noble look about her that almost made Kagome stare. Kikyou was incredibly graceful. Kagome gave Mama a kiss on the cheek and said to Kikyou that she would see her later.

"But, we could walk together," Kikyou objected, for once saying something while she sat at the table.

Kagome rushed for the door. "Sorry!" she said. "I have to get to school." She was gone before another word could be said to her.

Mama assured Kikyou, "Don't worry. Once she catches up on her homework, she'll slow down again." But Kikyou wanted to tell Kagome about Inuyasha.

Kagome ran the entire way to school, feeling awkward with the fifty pound bag on her back. But the race was worth it since by doing that, she found her friends, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka in their usual morning study group spot under the trees in the park across the street from school. Immediately they greeted her enthusiastically, wishing her well, telling her all about the things she'd missed.

"That's great!" Kagome chirped brightly, and set up shop beside them. "Okay, Ayumi, my math-wiz, my greatest number friend of all time," she sang, and Ayumi laughed. "I've got this terrible problem with these chemistry assignments. None of them are working for me!"

Ayumi took the problems, merely glancing at them. "Oh, Kagome," Ayumi sighed. "These aren't chemistry problems. They're biology assignments!" Kagome looked at the sheets in dismay as Ayumi pointed out a word in the top right corner of each page: Biology.

"No!" Kagome groaned. "I spent three hours on these! I could have used that time to work on another subject!" She burrowed her nose furiously in her books as her friends laughed at her. Really, how could she even make the mistake? Weren't biology and chemistry entirely different? And she'd been accepted by several colleges and universities?

"Kagome, you'll never believe it, but your sister's been hanging out with Sasuke and Hojou a lot lately!" Yuka said in confidence. The other two girls nodded in agreement, as if the secret was a terrible one and they hated having to break it to Kagome.

"That's okay," Kagome said dismissively.

"But they're _tutoring_ her, together!" Ayumi winced at Eri's statement. "You know what that means."

Kagome looked up sternly at her friends. "This isn't junior high anymore!" she told them in all seriousness. "And let me tell you now, Kiki is more likely to liquidate someone who tried that with her than go along with it." Kagome remembered junior high, where telling their parents they were being tutored actually meant they were going to a boy's house to make out with them.

"But that's what Hojou and Sasuke and Kikyou tell everyone as a reason to why they spend so much time together." Ayumi insisted. "So they're admitting it flat out."

Kagome buried her nose in her books again. "Ever see Kiki with a hickey?" She asked. She could practically hear their heads rattling as they shook them and said 'no' together hesitantly. "Then, try remembering Kiki for a change. She's trying so hard to fit in, but she's coming here from another place"--so very far away--"and making friends isn't all that easy for her; in fact, it never was easy. And spreading rumors isn't helping any."

"Namira Yora in class 3B is spreading a lot of the rumors." Eri said.

"Yora-san?" Kagome looked up at the others. Kagome never really got along with the girl, and once an argument between them had even escalated into a fist fight. That was before Kagome got pulled into the well, and Kagome and Yora-san had been placed in separate classes since then, to minimize their contact time. Kagome felt anger building toward Yora-san already, and knew that a confrontation was inevitable by now.

The girls nodded. "Yes," Ayumi told her, "Yora-san started them. Hojou and Sasuke are always angry and offended by the rumors when they hear them, but Kikyou never gets angry! It's amazing."

Eri added, "She said, and I quote, 'I waste not my time on foolish lip.'"

Yuka said, "I keep thinking Kikyou must've been raised like a princess! She always seems so noble, like she belongs in a fairytale!"

Kagome laughed at that. Almost, but not quite, she thought. "I admire Kiki, too," Kagome admitted to her friends. "She's incredible, and graceful, and..." Kagome sighed. "But I'm entirely the,"

The girls finished for her. "Opposite," the girls said in unision.

Eri pointed to Kagome's blouse. "You have syrup on your uniform."

With a cry of dismay, Kagome looked at her blouse. "But I didn't _eat_ this morning!" The girls laughed at her.

**-- **

The day practically flew by for Kagome. At every possible moment, she would pull out an assignment and start working on it. She would have skipped lunch if Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka hadn't already become used to the 'catch-up' routine over the past four years and shared their lunch-boxes with her in the park across the street.

At the end of the day, she ran around turning in more homework assignments that she'd completed during the day when she wasn't actually supposed to be working on them. Like during band class. Then, Kagome met her three girlfriends in the park across the street again and flopped down by them in a state of what she felt was either total exhaustion, complete laziness, or near-death. She wasn't positive, but thought it could be closer to near-death.

"How much work do you have left?" Ayumi asked. Kagome's imperfect 'glare-of-death' told the three girls if they wanted to live to have children, they shouldn't ask dangerous questions. Perhaps they shouldn't even think the questions.

But despite that, Kagome said, "I'll never, ever, ever be sick again! I will never leave an assignment undone for more than an hour, and this back up will not happen again!" The girls laughed at her half-hearted exclamations. "And furthermore, I will never again be late to a class"--she'd been late to as many as three classes that afternoon--"and anyone who so much as says the word college or university around me will be faced with a miserable life because I'll personally haunt them forever!" People had been talking about college during last hour homeroom until she just wanted to scream.

"College!" Eri said teasingly.

"Eriiii," Kagome whined. "I'm totally serious!"

"I got fifteen acceptance letters," Ayumi said, not bothering to put down a romance novel she was reading.

"Ayumiiiii!" Kagome covered her face with her hands. "Don't remind me!" She had so many colleges wanting her, but she wouldn't be able to make it that far, would she? Perhaps Kikyou could go in her stead?

Yuka said proudly, "I got accepted into the beauty school I've wanted to go to!" Yuka wanted to go to beauty school, a specific one in Osaka, since she was five years old. Her parents wanted her to be a lawyer, but she said that was more Eri's specialty. And Eri was a genius liar. A person could have known the truth of something for fifty years, and Eri could turn their minds in thirty seconds. It was almost frightening to watch.

"Alright," Kagome sighed, "Eri, how many did you get?"

"Well, I got a few, but I think I'm going to go to Tokyo University. Ayumi's decided that's where she wants to go to be a doctor, so I might just stay in the area." Eri admitted. "Though I did think about going abroad. What about you? Get any letters yet?"

Kagome groaned and hid her face again, quite embarrassed. Yuka gasped, "It's not that bad, is it?"

"You want a total count?" Kagome moaned again, mentally counting them.

"Ooh, it must be bad," Ayumi sympathized. "I feel for you, Kagome-chan. But they'll start coming. It's worse if you don't hear at all from them than if you get rejection letters."

"Twenty-three." Kagome said. "Twenty-three letters, and all of them are accepting me and my pathetic grades!" The silence that fell around them next was absolute. "Most of them are from abroad. My mom didn't give those to me at first, so at first, I thought there were only eight or so. But no! Of course, my life isn't so simple."

Three seconds later, Kagome's three girlfriends were rolling on the ground, cackling with undisguised amusement. "I'm serious! This isn't at all good!" Kagome tried telling them, but they weren't prepared to listen at all. Quite honestly, she wanted to know exactly how people could look at her application in any seriousness, and write a letter of acceptance to her and keep a straight face.

When they had settled down considerably, Eri asked, "Kagome, where'd you get that pretty bracelet?"

Kagome looked at the bracelet she'd found in the feudal era. She couldn't tell them the truth. So she just smiled and touched it lightly with a finger, not saying anything. It was really pretty.

**-- **

Kagome bounded up the steps to the shrine three at a time, slammed into the shrine, kicked her shoes off at the front door, and called out, "Mama, I'm home!" Soon as she had said that, she was already on her way upstairs. She'd spent a long time at the park with her girlfriends, but now she had to cram.

She heard Mama attempt to start a conversation with her, obviously before realizing she wasn't actually there to talk to. Then she was locked in her room. She had spread her books across her desk, and had a pencil in each hand. She was ambidextrious, and she was going to use that to her advantage.

If she could learn to think with both sides of her brain, that was.

**-- **

Mama shook her head at Kagome's hasty retreat. When she was trying to play her game of catch-up, she forgot a lot of things, like saying 'hello' to her mother. But Mama didn't blame her for it. She felt bad that Kagome had so many responsibilities so young, but Kagome seemed to handle them fairly well.

She turned back into the kitchen and smiled at her daughter's guest. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I hope it won't be too inconveniencing for you, but could I ask you to stay for supper? She's got schoolwork to attend."

The man smiled and lifted his cup for more tea as it was offered. "Of course," he said. "I thank you for having me."

Mama chuckled. "Such a nice man, you are! And you say you will represent her throughout the endeavor?"

He nodded and put a cube of sugar in his cup. "There were ten names chosen. These finalists need to appear on stage at the end of the week, prepared to act out a pre-determined scene with one of the actors. The director and the actors will then vote on which of the ten they liked best. It's a one-shot chance, but they have all week to prepare."

Mama chuckled and set about preparing supper as she talked. "Kagome-chan doesn't recall entering."

**-- **

When Kagome was called down for supper, she half stumbled down all the steps with her faithful friend called 'Math Textbook'. Kagome received several complaints from Souta on the way down for going too slow. Instead of compromising and moving faster, she grinned and moved slower still.

Kagome sat down at the table in her usual spot, and Mama answered the ringing telephone. Kagome was still stuck in her book, tapping its spine with a finger. Mama came into the kitchen with the portable phone and said, "Kagome, your sister would like to talk to you."

Kagome took the phone without looking away from her book. "Kiki, how does 'x' equal 'y'?" Kagome demanded. Kagome heard laughter on the other end of the line, and Souta ended up laughing as well at Kagome's greeting, soda coming out of his nose. She heard her mother chuckling. "I'm serious. This just doesn't make sense."

"I have to ask you a question," Kikyou said, ignoring Kagome's.

"Okay, I'm listening."

"Can you come to the public library on the block just north of the school, and bring that bracelet you found? It is to be considered very urgent." Kikyou did have a considerable amount of seriousness in her tone.

"Uh, sure. But why?" Kagome wanted to know.

Kikyou said, "I can explain further when you get here."

"Okay, I'll just get my shoes on." Kagome closed her book and set it on the table beside her plate.

"Thank you. We will await you in the entrance."

"We?" Kagome asked. "Who all is there with you?"

"Hojou and Sasuke. We're doing some research."

Kagome groaned. "I was hoping to avoid contact with them, Kiki," she admitted. "You, of all people, should understand that."

"We will be waiting for you!" Kikyou hung up and Kagome hung her head.

Mama cleared her throat pointedly. "Kagome, you're not going somewhere, are you?"

"Unfortunately I have no choice." Kagome said. "Well," she looked up finally and noticed there was a stranger sitting at her table. She had to do a doubletake, just to keep up with this information. "Who are you?" she asked him.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Kagome cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Nevermind. I don't really want to know. Mama, I'm off to the library."

Mama interjected, "Perhaps you could take Mr. Roun with! He's here for you."

The man smiled and stood. "I would be happy to accompany you."

Kagome waved her hand in dismissal. "I'll be back soon. Eat my share of dinner. Okay?" Mr. Roun looked hurt to be blown off, but she _really_ didn't have time to wait for an old guy to keep up with her. "Whatever you want, you can tell me when I get back." She didn't wait. She ran to put her shoes on, made sure the bracelet was still clasped on her wrist, and began running for what seemed the hundredth time that day.

Kikyou was waiting for her, just as she promised she would be. Kagome bent double in front of her, Sasuke, and Hojou. The two boys gave her worried glances. "Are you alright, Higurashi-san?" they asked her.

Sasuke added, "You look flushed."

Kagome glared at them. "Of course, I do!" she said, holding a stitch forming in her side. "I just ran from home to here at mach speed. So, I've got some old, balding guy at home who wants my attention, and I'm pretty sure I'm not related, and I've got a mile-high stack of homework to do, and I've got a jealous classmate spreading rumors about my sister to beat up when I see her, not to mention I've got insane friends urging me to decide on what college to attend! So of course I'm just a little flushed. In fact, more than flushed! I'm totally drained! No reserve tank for me."

The toilet joke reference was lost on the three. She sighed. "Tough crowd, tough crowd," she muttered.

Kikyou grabbed Kagome's hand and began tugging her in the direction of the back of the library. Once they were back there, Kagome found that the table with at least a million books piled on top of it was theirs. So they really were researching, and not just lightly. "So we found it!" Kikyou said. "At first, it was so strange. We found no information at all on it. But then on a whim, I had Hojou-kun type The Twilight Bracelet and The Twilight Moon in the computer search engine, because there was this book in the bookstore called The Twilight Moon, and it came up finally with a website that made reference to The Twilight Moon also being refered to as a twilight bracelet."

"Oh, okay," Kagome said dubiously. "What does this have to do with me?"

Sasuke continued where Kikyou left off. "We found out that The Twilight Moon is just one of a series of bracelets and other types of jewelry worn by important members of the Twilight House, also known as the House of the Moon, or the Rulers of the Western Lands. The ladies were mostly the recipients of the jewelry, but some of the men wore it too."

They started shoving books at Kagome, showing her pictures, and information, and a large number of other things they found such as printed off website articles. "The most pertinent information we can find, I expect to be in a book I'm going to pick up tomorrow." Kikyou said. "It's too late to go now, but tomorrow I should be able to get it. And I'm going to need you there with me."

Before Kagome even had a chance to say anything, Hojou called them to crowd around his laptop from which he was accessing a wireless server. "There's a painting of the entire collection," he said. "Looks like the painting is owned by the actor that played Venok in the movie Demon Hell." The picture wasn't very good, like someone had secretly taken it, so it was too dark to see anything really. But the caption stated it depicted the entire Twilight jewelry collection.

"What's the actor's name?" Kikyou asked. Kagome was amazed at Kikyou. She had only been in Kagome's time for a few months at best, but she was confident as if she had been there her whole life. Of course, Kagome really expected nothing less of Kikyou, though secretly she was jealous.

Sasuke thought for a moment. "Matenkashi, I think. His first name always fails me, though."

Hojou said, "Yora-san was bragging about how she got a phone call from her mother saying she was chosen to be a finalist in that movie thing. Maybe if we suck up enough, we can get her to introduce us to the actor, and we can ask to see the painting."

"We don't have long before you two have to turn the report in," Kikyou sighed. "You only got a couple weeks extension, and it might take that long to wittle Yora-san into reason."

Sasuke nodded. "She's obsessed with that Matenkashi guy. In fact, so's my sister. I don't think I've met a girl yet who didn't have a major crush on him."

Kikyou and Kagome looked at each other wryly. Kagome said, "I knew I've been missing out on the whose-hot-whose-not gossip, but I didn't know I'd be short for it." Kikyou and Kagome shared a laugh at Sasuke's expense.

"Excluding you guys, I guess. I didn't know you guys," he stammered, trying to fix his error.

"They're girls," Hojou said. "You're better off not trying to understand them." He grinned to let them know he was only joking, and Kagome realized these two weren't as boring as she'd thought.

Kagome held out her arm, fingering the bracelet. "So you think this bracelet might be one of those?"

Kikyou nodded. "When I saw this picture," she pulled a book from the table and showed the picture to Kagome, "I recognized it almost immediately."

Kagome skimmed the paragraphs above the picture. "It doesn't really speak about the bracelet though. Like the picture was simply thrown in." She sat down at the table, not caring that her skirt bunched up. She began skimming the pages for any useful information.

"That's why I need that book! I could have had it a month ago already!" Kikyou grabbed a book from the table at random and began flipping through it. "And the libraries don't have that book available, though ask me why I could not tell you."

Sasuke said, "She's gotten real heated about this subject. We hoped she would help us when we started out, since you and her live on a shrine, we thought you guys might know some things normal people wouldn't." And th Understatement of the Year Award goes to Sasuke! Congratulations, Kagome thought wryly, sharing a smile with Kikyou. "We were almost giving up hope and found just a little lucky break the morning the paper was due, so we asked for an extension on the paper's due date."

"Begged for it, more like," Hojou corrected his friend.

"Kagome, can you borrow the bracelet to me?" Kikyou asked.

Kagome didn't hesitate for a second. She knew Kikyou wouldn't lose it, so she went to unclip it from her wrist. Only the latch wouldn't undo, and it was too small to fall off. "Gack!" Kagome said, looking pleadingly at Kikyou.

Kikyou held out her hands. Kagome obediently held out her arm and Kikyou started fumbling with the latch, but she didn't have any better of luck. Sasuke and Hojou both offered up their multi-purpose tools that they kept clipped to their belts, but the girls gave them a look of disgust.

"You want to break it?" Kagome and Kikyou asked in complete unision. Guiltily the boys put their tools away. The two girls decided there had to be a way to get it off without breaking the fragile looking piece. They didn't want to attempt magic, in case it messed with any already existing on the bracelet.

Kagome said, "I'll go with you to pick up that book. Tomorrow after school. But in return, I need help with my math!" Kikyou agreed, and the four of them started searching for more information. Kagome borrowed a notebook of Sasuke's and began taking notes.

She had a brief thought, I could do this. If she did manage to live, even though she was sure she wouldn't, she thought she'd be some sort of history or mythology researcher. Kikyou had a life now, did Kikyou have any plans for the future?

It was late before Kagome and Kikyou got home, both of them carrying an armload of books, with more bursting from Kikyou's bag. Kagome recieved a scolding from her mother for not remembering about Mr. Roun, to which she apologized. Kikyou explained it was her fault, but Mama wouldn't hear any of it. Kagome should have come home like she said she would.

Kagome and Kikyou were then told to get ready for bed, since it was very late. Kikyou sat up late in bed reading about The Twilight Moon, or at least what she could from the books and printed websites that were printed off. Kagome continued her homework, this time working on her history assignments, by flashlight, with her blankets over her head to dim the light so it wouldn't shine under the door.

By morning, Kagome's flashlight was dead, and her alarmclock woke her with screeching annoyance. To retaliate, she tossed the clock across the room where it made a loud thump against the doors to the closet, but she still got up and sluggishly showered and dressed for school. To her dismay, she couldn't get black ink off her left cheek from where she slept on her homework and it read faintly, "the period in which" and directly underneath that, "Hundreds died during this". Two different parts of an answer.

She shoved as much homework in her bags again as she could, raced downstairs to kiss her mother goodbye, then flew out the door, waving 'bye' to Kikyou as she went. Kikyou sighed again, but Mama pat her shoulder consolingly. "Just a few more days and she'll have caught up. You're lucky you got her out of the house last night."

Kikyou pointed out sadly, "In a few days, she will have returned to Inuyasha's time, and I will see her no more then, than I do now." She poked at her food. "I feel ashamed because I am jealous of the teachers' homework assignments. I could spend more time with her if I did her work for her."

Mama chuckled. "I doubt it. If you tried to do her work for her, she would not speak to you." She wanted to discourage Kikyou from cheating. "Kagome likes to know that what she does have, she has earned herself. Even if that means slugging through it, and staying up late with her flashlight, trying not to let me know she's still awake doing homework, even if I told her last night to go right to sleep."

Kikyou sighed. "I understand this feeling of hers, so I do nothing. Unless she asked for help, I could not bring myself to do it. A priestess of the jewel is to pride herself on responsibility, and taking it upon her shoulders alone. But I admire her, because at least that is how she is made. It is a part of who she is, but I am not truly like that."

Mama smiled at Kikyou, glad the girl was willing to share her thoughts and feelings. "What are you like?"

"I felt no satisfaction to do as asked, or to do what was required of me. I was told to be kind to everyone, and to never lie. The lessons stuck, and they are still with me. But what if I do not like a person? What if the things required of me are the things I never wish to do?" Kikyou felt moisture on her cheek. "I'm not a bad person, but sometimes the burden was just too heavy. I wouldn't do what was required of me. I couldn't do it."

Mama lowered herself to look straight into the sitting girl's eyes. "Kagome is a special girl," she said. "And so are you. You are my girls, and I want you to understand that right now." Mama wiped the tears away with her apron. "Something you should think about is the meaning of responsibility. Its doing what no one else will, or what may be difficult but needs to be done anyway. Its doing what is right, no matter what others think of you for it. Sometimes its hard, and sometimes it's really easy. And when the burden gets too heavy, you can always ask someone to share it. Kagome does it, but not often. When her homework gets frustrating for her, she asks someone to help her with it, so she can understand and do it alone next time."

Kikyou sniffed and wiped her tears away. "I apologize," she said.

"For what?" Mama chuckled, almost seeming to read Kikyou's thoughts. "For crying? For being confused and scared? For being a young girl with feelings? Kikyou, don't be silly. I will love you, no matter what you do! I may not have given birth to you, but you are my child as much as Souta and Kagome. What I expect from you, is for you to grow up well, find a man who will make you happy, and give me lots of grandbabies that I can dote upon! And along the way, you'll laugh and you'll cry and you'll yell and you'll fall silent. You'll be scared, and brave, but that's what life is like."

Mama looked at the clock and sighed. "You need to get going to school. If you hurry, you should make the bell. I'll see Souta off this morning." Mama hugged the girl and Kikyou returned it like any teen would--reluctantly. "Will you be home after school, or are you spending more time with your friends?"

Kikyou smiled ruefully. "We're almost at a breaking point in the research. I've grown fond of Hojou and Sasuke. I can't leave them to struggle alone now."

Mama nodded. "However, I would rather you're not walking home alone in the dark. It's dangerous," she paused and chuckled at Kikyou's raised eyebrow. "Nevermind then. I forget you and Kagome have special gifts. Just be careful."

"I will... Mama." Kikyou said and went upstairs with a smile on her face to retrieve her bag.

**-- **

The day went much like the previous one for Kagome. She got to school and studied with her three girlfriends in the park across the way, and spent the day running here and there doing homework and turning the assignments in. She got yelled at in physical education class for doing homework that was not class related.

At lunch, Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka shared their food again, and gossiped while they helped her to understand her more difficult pieces of homework that she'd brought with her. Yora-san had started another rumor and according to it, Kikyou was locked away in a mental facility her whole life and Kagome was never really sick but was visiting Kikyou in the psyche ward.

The rumor made Kagome mad, but she knew retaliation against it would only make people think it was true even though it wasn't. If Yora-san knew the truth of the matter, that Kikyou had once been a feared and hated priestess in the feudal era who guarded the Shikon no Tama, then that mental facility would be even more realistic.

All over school, people were talking about the movie raffle. Ten people were chosen from the city to participate in a miniature stage acting contest with the actors and actresses of the film. Then the actors and actresses would judge the ten finalists' ability to act, and a winner would be chosen from that. Since it seemed people already knew who the finalists were, Kagome felt it safe to say she was not chosen and that made her feel much better.

Yora-san also made no small effort to be sure that _everyone_ knew the information that she had been chosen as a finalist. She bragged so much about it that Kagome just wanted to hit her, or shove a dirty, stinky, smelly guy sock in her mouth. Preferably the latter, since Yora-san would suffer more for it, and Kagome didn't want to hurt herself punching Yora-san's thick skull.

After school, Kagome met Kikyou at the entrance to the building and said, "Congratulations," to her sister, having finally come to a realization.

"What did I do?" Kikyou asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

"I heard they bumped you up to a higher class. I thought it was weird when you weren't in my classes!"

Kikyou blushed. "Yes, the administration did it last week on Friday, just before you came home. Hojou-kun and I share a schedule now."

Kagome winked at Kikyou. "Yes, and I noticed he and Sasuke are priviledged enough to call you Kikyou-chan!" The two of them left school together, but not before Kagome waved goodbye to her three girlfriends. The girls were relaxing in the park again, Ayumi was pulling out a romance novel she'd been reading yesterday, and Yuka was filing her nails, and Eri was typing on a laptop while lying on her stomach. The three of them were in the shade of the tree they usually sat under.

Kikyou blushed profusely at the implied statement. "It is merely because we are friends. They may not call me Kiki-chan, however. They should not feel priviledged."

"Oh, Kiki, what'll I do with you?" Kagome teased.

Kikyou looked confused again. "Must you do something with me?" Kagome laughed.

It didn't take long before Kagome and Kikyou were at the mall, linked arm in arm and talking cheerfully. Kikyou was excited about something, but try though she might, Kagome couldn't pry her secret out of her. When she was ready, she'd probably tell, Kagome figured. The two were discussing almost anything and pretty much everything, from homework to the Twilight Moon research to whispering in each others' ears about the feudal quest.

Kikyou was feverishly excited about getting her book and getting to the library. "Hojou-kun and Sasuke-kun are going to be waiting for us there. Hojou thinks he might have an idea on how to get the bracelet off too."

"Really?" Kagome thought it would be really nice if she knew how to get the bracelet off. She really liked it, but she'd noticed it was attracting a lot of comments during school, and since she didn't think that anyone in the feudal era knew about plastic, she figured those diamond-looking sparkly jewels were probably a little too real.

"Yes." Kikyou nodded, pulling Kagome toward a jewelry store.

* * *

**End.**


	8. What well holds water

**Title: Kagome and Sesshoumaru starring in...  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer: I am not in ownership of "Inuyasha". _

Chapter eight: What well holds water

The store was swimming with people coming in and out, some people bringing out boxes and boxes of things. Whatever Kikyou had been about to tell Kagome before then seemed to fade out of her mind. "What's going on here?" she asked aloud. There were two policemen on the scene.

Kagome shook her head. She didn't know either. She recognized the store as the place that Kagome had taken Kikyou to their first trip to the mall. "Kiki," she said with no small amount of hesitation. She and Kikyou had gotten attacked by a crazy naked lady there, and she wasn't too keen on going back.

"You'll like the owner." Kikyou said. She and Kagome wove their way through the crowd and slipped into the jewelry store. Once inside, Kikyou pulled Kagome off to the side and out of the way as their eyes adjusted to the indoor lighting.

Kagome saw people carefully boxing up jewelry, wrapping it in protective papers and then putting the small boxes into big boxes. Then they took the big boxes out of the store and put it on a small hand cart to push out to (most likely) a truck in the parking lot. It didn't look like anything was actually being sold.

An extremely rotund woman in a yellow tank top and black miniskirt glowered at everyone from another corner of the room. Kagome thought the woman looked almost like a bee in her outfit. When the woman noticed Kikyou and Kagome, her anger became more visible.

"Looks like they're moving shop or something," Kagome commented.

Kikyou didn't hear her. She pulled on Kagome's arm and said, "There he is," nodding her head at a man with his back to them. He had strangely silver hair down to his waist. Something about the way he stood seemed familiar to Kagome, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She had never met the man before in her life, at least to her knowledge.

Without turning around, the man walked around the counter and through a door into a back room. Two muscular men came out carrying heavy boxes. It was a little while before everyone had left without coming back in, and then shortly thereafter, the two policemen came in. They beckoned to the woman, and talked to her in whispers too low to hear.

Then, she huffed and wobbled her way up a flight of stairs. The police then called out, "Matenkashi-san?"

The man came as beckoned, out of the backroom with an extra large box of stuff in his hands. A little boy skipped out of the back behind the man, carrying a toy car in one hand and a box of crayons in the other. "Papa, I'm so hungry, can't we just go now?" the boy pleaded.

"In a few minutes." Kagome stiffened, hearing that voice and recognizing it instantly. Kikyou couldn't help but let a smug smile plant itself on her face. "Just let me finish up here, Taku, then we can go." The man moved away from the box, becoming visible to the two girls, and Kagome saw exactly who she already knew it was. He didn't look a day older than when she left him a few days ago in the past.

Inuyasha, she thought. She looked at Kikyou with supreme surprise on her face. How was this even possible? Did demons really live to be that old? "Impossible," Kagome whispered to her sister.

"No, it is not. But let me talk. I will explain later." Kagome nodded simply because she had no idea what she would say anyway.

Inuyasha said to the police officer, "Thank you for your assistance." Kagome's jaw dropped. Inuyasha needed 'assistance' from the local authority? Impossible. He was too stubborn to ever ask for help. Wasn't he? Then again, that glowering not-so-thin lady didn't look happy.

"It's not a problem, Matenkashi-san." the police officer said. "We're happy to help."

"Papa!" The boy, Taku, cried again.

Inuyasha sighed. "Alright, alright already. We're going." He said farewell to the police officer and the police officer left. Then, Inuyasha picked up the box and said, "Come on, Taku." Taku bounced a few feet forward, then looked at Kikyou and Kagome with surprise.

"Papa, it's the lady!" he dropped his toy and his crayons and raced over to the girls, grabbing both of their hands. Kagome didn't remember ever meeting this boy, so she assumed Kikyou must have before. But the boy didn't seem to know Kikyou's name so it must not have been too memorable of a meeting.

Kikyou's eyes sparkled with mirth, but she kept her face smooth. She looked at Inuyasha and bowed respectfully as Inuyasha said, "Taku, I know they're here." He bent and grabbed his dropped items, putting them in the box he held.

"Matenkashi-sama," Kikyou said, surprising Kagome with the formality.

Inuyasha said, "Can we talk and walk at the same time?"

Kagome felt very out of place in this group, with a little boy who she didn't know bouncing and tugging on her hand. But more than that, she felt out of place because Inuyasha looked mostly human, and she couldn't sense his aura. Sure, sensing a being's aura was fairly new to her, but by no means should she be unable to sense a demon's aura in her era when she could sense it in Inuyasha's.

"Of course." Kikyou said. Kikyou pulled on Kagome's arm, guiding her, and once outside, Taku raced ahead of the two girls and Inuyasha caught up easily.

Inuyasha said, "I take it you changed your mind about that book?" Inuyasha had a smile on his face.

"Indeed," Kikyou replied. "Some friends and I are doing research on the Twilight Moon. It would be a beneficial book to have." Kikyou looked at Kagome out of the corner of her vision. The look on Kagome's face worried her. She had thought Kagome would be happy, but instead she looked like death warmed over. Having seen what that looked like, Kikyou could attest that it was such a look.

But she didn't like Kagome looking like that.

Undoubtedly Kagome would have questions. Kikyou promised herself that she would answer all of them as soon as they had the book and were on their way home. They exited the mall and Inuyasha opened the trunk of a car and put the box in. He helped Taku into a car seat in the back before returning to the two girls.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I ever caught your name," he said. A blush stained his cheeks at that.

That was when everything hit Kagome, all at once. Inuyasha couldn't remember them. It was possible that if he had lived five hundred years, he had forgotten some things. It was also fairly possible that even if Kagome were to ask him how things ended with Naraku, he may not even remember.

And then again, it was possible that the person she was looking at was simply a reincarnation of Inuyasha--that he had died five hundred years ago. After all, what was Kagome but the reincarnation of Kikyou? Kagome looked at Kikyou for a second. Kikyou had bit her lip, as though unsure whether or not to answer.

Kagome helped her out by deciding for her. It didn't matter, Kagome thought. "My name is Kagome Higurashi. This is my sister, Kikyou Higurashi." She held out her hand to shake, and a smile lit across Inuyasha's face.

"Inuyasha Matenkashi," he said and shook each of the girl's hands. He pointed at the boy in the back seat of the car. "My son, Taku. Unfortunately, the book is in transit to my family home, since I'm moving and all. If you like, you're welcome to come with me to my home and I can dig it out for you."

Kikyou bit her lip, knowing that Kagome wanted to get home to do homework, but also that she wanted that book so bad. It was practically killing her that this was taking so long to learn anything about it. Kagome said, "I'm sorry, but can my sister and I talk alone for a minute?" Inuyasha nodded and Kagome pulled Kikyou away several feet, hoping that those human ears of Inuyasha's couldn't hear like a demon's.

Kikyou said, "I know you want to get home. It's not a problem. I can forgo the," Kagome shook her head.

"I don't think you shouldn't go. But you shouldn't go by yourself, and I'm not really escort material." Kikyou looked confused. "Think about it," Kagome told her. "Yeah, sure you and I are priestesses, but what if he's a reincarnation of,"

Kikyou blurted, "He's not! You can't see it? I can feel the presence of demon blood, and not just him, but Taku, and many others! Even Yora-san at school is a full-fledged dog demon. And Inuyasha doesn't remember us, but he's the same."

Kagome hugged Kikyou. "If you're sure, Kiki," she smiled encouragingly. "I don't mind if you're sure. In a few days, I have to go back. At least one of us should be happy, right?"

Kagome was glad that Kikyou was making friends, but suddenly it was as though there was a great chasm between the two, one that bridges wouldn't breach. And Kagome felt even more alone, because here was Inuyasha, but she wouldn't ever be able to be with him or with anyone because of fate. Because of a stupid prophecy that she wished she didn't have anything to do with.

She hugged Kikyou once more and said, "Go get your book. Okay?" She didn't bother to say goodbye to Inuyasha; it hurt too much to even think about it. Kikyou could sense what Kagome could not. It was further proof that Kikyou was so much stronger than Kagome. Kikyou could sense demons and jewel shards and she was smart and graceful and noble. Everyone knew it.

Everyone knew that Kagome was also completely opposite from her supposed 'sister'.

"Okay," Kikyou said, her face completely unreadable.

Kagome turned heel and started quickly toward home. Perhaps Kikyou could be happy, but Kagome wouldn't ever be. She couldn't be because she carried this heavy burden on her shoulders. She would die, and out of her ashes who knew what would be born; legend, myth. Either way, she wished to have nothing to do with it.

But she knew life wasn't that way. She had everything to do with it, and it had everything to do with her. She could no more change the future than she had the guts to change the past. This was how fate had dealt her the worst blow ever. By giving her a sister who she could watch be happy just before dying herself.

Perhaps that was why Kikyou was brought back to life? Maybe the well was fate, and it had a cruel sense of humor? Slowly she climbed the steps to the shrine and kicked her shoes off just inside the door. "Mama, I'm home," she said with less zeal than the day before.

She gloomily trudged toward the stairs, feeling like she could break into tears the minute anyone talked to her. Mama appeared in the kitchen door and said, "Kagome, welcome home." She took a look at Kagome's beaten appearance and asked, "Oh, sweetheart, what's the matter?"

Kagome smiled as much as she could muster. "Nothing, mama." she said though she wanted to take a heavy pole and beat holes in something hard. "Just been a long day." Understatement…

"Oh, sweetie..." Mama pulled Kagome into her warm embrace, and Kagome broke into tears. She couldn't handle it; the stress of seeing Inuyasha alive and well in her time, the knowledge that she would die soon, the fact that she was struggling a losing battle against school and yet still people had the audacity to mock her by saying her grades were good enough for this college or that university...

"Mama," she thought about admitting everything… Thought that maybe if she did, her mama would make everything all better; that she could make all this pain just go away. But something stopped her. It was her problem, and to place the burden on her mother's shoulders wasn't something she could do.

Her mother knew what she did was dangerous. But if Kagome didn't do it, then no one else would. There wouldn't be anyone else to do it. She pulled herself away from her mother and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her blouse.

"It's alright, sweetie," Mama said. "Things will start looking up soon. In fact, I have some good news for you already. Mr. Roun came back today to meet with you." Her mother pulled out a kerchief from her apron and wiped at Kagome's eyes. "Come into the kitchen, sweetie."

Kagome set her backpack on the floor by the stairs and followed her mother into the kitchen, fiddling nervously with the bracelet. Mr. Roun, old and balding, did indeed sit at the table in the kitchen. He was drinking tea with a calm look on his face.

When he saw Kagome, he put the cup down on its respective saucer and stood up, bowing to her in respect. He was a small little man, but hardly looked the part he obviously was trying to play of businessman since to Kagome, he only looked very funny.

"Miss Higurashi," he said.

She tilted her head, but her mother urged her to return his bow. So she did, stiffly, wondering if she really wanted to be there. She felt like going to her room and doing homework until she no longer felt like crying over the injustices of the world. And yet, why she even felt like doing homework in the first place was a mystery to her since she didn't even know if she'd make it to graduation.

Live to graduate.

Whatever.

"Hello, Mr. Roun," Kagome said not unkindly.

Mama chirped, "Well, I'll just go check on Souta." With no further warning, she left Kagome alone with Mr. Roun and Kagome had to close her eyes for a moment, feeling as though she'd been abandoned, and that home was not where she ought to be. Perhaps she should forget all her obligations, just take off and stay in the past, and die as she was meant to?

Would anyone remember her? Would they have a funeral for her? Would the even _know_? Would anyone… would anyone _care_?

"I have good news for you," Mr. Roun said.

"Okay," Kagome thought about Sango and Miroku, wondering if ever there was a chance of the two of them getting together. She sighed and thought about Miroku's wandering hands. Probably not; they wouldn't be able to get together because the two of them, though they liked each other...

"Miss Higurashi, are you alright?"

She looked at Mr. Roun and shook herself mentally. "Of course," she lied.

"You look a little pale," he said. "And you didn't even blink at the news. The other managers said their raffle winners fainted, squealed, or whipped out their cell phones at the news."

"I have been ill," she lied again. "And I didn't hear what you said. I'm sorry..."

He poked at the hem of his suit jacket and repeated himself. "The movie raffle winners have been chosen. Your name was one of them picked." He paused, waiting for her to start squealing or to do something. She did nothing but look at him.

She thought, I was only kidding. I didn't think my luck really was that bad. Why did my name have to be picked? When did she even enter this thing?

Then again, who else would be a favorite for fate to screw with? Kagome was working for a record... Not that she enjoyed that, but still. She would have glared at Mr. Roun, but she knew doing so would simply make her want to break out into a fit of hysterics.

Mr. Roun continued, "I have a script to practice with you. You'll go on stage with an actor on Friday and play out the scene from the script, and you'll be judged by the other actors. The best one out of the ten winners will play the part of lead female in the movie." Again he waited for a response. Any response. Sweat was beginning to break out on his forehead as he continued to get nervous.

What was with this girl? Why wasn't she squealing or cheering or calling up all her friends or even appearing to be happy like normal people? What was wrong with her?

"So," Kagome said, "there's a chance I won't be in the movie then?" He hesitated, but he nodded. To his surprise, Kagome heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Good! You had me scared for a minute there."

He blinked at her. Then, on a whim he ventured, "Why?"

She smiled, "I have enough to deal with right now."

"Then why enter your name?"

"I'm not sure," she said honestly. She once again began playing with the bracelet on her wrist, trying to remember when she would even have had time to enter in a raffle, or if she'd ever even heard of it. Nothing came to mind. "I don't even remember hearing about this thing until a few days ago when I read all the mail that had collected for me for a month."

"Oh," Mr. Roun hadn't actually thought Mrs. Higurashi was serious when she said Kagome couldn't remember entering. Really, who forgot such a thing? "Well, how about practicing the script then?" He pushed a copy across the table to her. It was only a few pages long.

"Uh," Kagome felt a bright blush taint her cheeks. He probably thought she was insane by now, but she had to ask. "Is there a point to practicing? If I don't do well, they won't like me, right? But if I practice, there's a chance I might get the part."

He laughed nervously. "That is the point..." She looked embarrassed, but serious. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way," he said. "I wish this were good news for you. But by entering, you agreed to show up at the contest. I'll leave these scripts here with you, in case you change your mind and decide to practice."

Kagome nodded. "Will I know where to go Friday?" Hopefully it didn't take too long to fail at this, because she said she'd go back to Inuyasha on Friday.

"I will pick you up." Mr. Roun put his hat on his head and bowed respectfully to her.

She asked him, "Does this mean that the movies have gone to the lottery?" She bowed in turn and showed him out, leaving the scripts on the table. Once he was gone, she returned to the kitchen and picked up the scripts. She walked over to the paper recyclables. Only a few seconds of contemplation was needed before she threw them away. She didn't need anymore responsibilities. She was _tired_ of responsibility. She was just barely nineteen; couldn't she have a break?

--

Mama entered the kitchen after hearing Kagome enter her room. She looked around, a frown on her face. Mr. Roun had said they would probably spend some time practicing their script part, but no such practicing was going on as Mr. Roun wasn't even there. She noticed that the cover was popped up on the paper recycle bin and walked toward it to put it down.

Then she noticed Kagome had thrown way her scripts. She glanced at the ceiling, wishing she could read her daughter's mind. It would be much easier that way.

--

Kagome fell asleep doing homework once again. In the morning, the scripts she was sure she threw away were on her desk, and she promised herself she would get rid of them later that day. At that moment, she didn't have time to get rid of them. She showered, dressed for school, and then packed as much homework as she could into her bag before racing to school.

Kikyou felt worse still about having to walk to school alone; Souta had a cold and was staying home for the day.

Kagome's three girlfriends were in the park waiting for her with breakfast that day. They brought grapefruit and apples. Chatter was light that morning. There was some talk about Hojou's upcoming birthday party. Everyone who was anyone would be there. There was also some talk about Yora-san's excitement and continued boasting about getting a part in the movie.

Annoyed over the talk about Yora-san, Kagome finally said, "I don't see what the hype about that movie is anyway. They'll take just about anyone!" Her three friends stared at her as if by saying that she had spoken high treason. "It's true!" Kagome said. "They chose me, so I know for a fact."

Suddenly she was bombarded with questions. You did? What's it like? Did you meet any actors? Are you excited?

She hadn't expected the treatment, but since they were her friends, she answered their questions. Yes, she was picked. It was like being hit in the face with a sledgehammer called "Responsibility". No, she didn't meet any actors yet. She was as excited about this as a cancer victim when thinking about their impending doom.

When the first bell rang, calling the students to class, she walked with them, trying to put a smile on her face. She hadn't gotten her English assignment or Japanese Poetry assignment done that was due that day.

By the end of the day, Kagome was regretting ever telling her friends about the movie. They had told everyone and anyone they saw, spreading the word that Yora-san wasn't as special as she thought she was. Immediately after school, she ran home. Once the word got out, Yora-san seemed most likely to murder Kagome.

Kagome put her bag down in her room and started on her homework immediately after school. Before she knew what had really happened, she fell asleep at her desk and slept fitfully, having nightmares about stabbing herself, about books falling from the sky to crush her body, about people looking at her and pointing their fingers in accusation.

Finally when she woke from these nightmares, she saw her clock said it was still early morning, sooner than three AM. Still in her nightgown, she left the house hoping to escape all that was being asked of her. Hoping that somehow, some way, she wouldn't have to die in the near future. Hoping that it wasn't just her that had to deal with the prophecy, that if she disappeared someone else would come take her place.

But then, as she leaned on the edge of the well, her escape became clearly a stupid idea. If she tried to escape, who was the most likely person to take Kagome's place? Kagome had told that person to have a happy life; had promised that she would. And here was Kagome, thinking of betraying that promise by taking off. Could Kagome really live with herself, knowing that if she did manage to escape her fate, that Kikyou would take her place?

No, she didn't think she could. She didn't think it was even possible to. She pulled herself over the lip of the well and let herself fall into the darkness. Perhaps she ought to tell Inuyasha that she wouldn't be coming right away on Friday, that she might be a little late.

The well had other ideas. Instead of the welcoming blue light that always encompassed her as she traversed time, nothing came until the blackness consumed her and she felt herself hit water at the halfway point of the well. Not just any water, but deep well water. It didn't make sense, since the well had been dry for years. She choked and coughed, fully awake now, and swam to the ladder.

"My life sucks," she sobbed as she hung tight to the ladder. It just wasn't fair. But then again, what really was considered fair?

"Kagome?" Kikyou called down, "Are you alright?"

Kagome pulled her soaked, shivering self up the ladder and Kikyou grabbed her arm when she began climbing over the lip to help her move. "How did you know?" Kagome asked her friend, sister, and previous incarnation as Kikyou pulled her bathrobe off and wrapped it around Kagome's soaking body.

Kikyou shook her head and sighed. "Do not be foolish. This Kikyou can sense the jewel as it moves rapidly out of the house."

Kagome laughed bitterly and hugged Kikyou. She muttered into the girl's shoulder, "You sound like that stuck-up brother of Inuyasha's. And now, I even managed to forget the jerk's name." She shivered and let Kikyou lead her into the house where she trailed water from the front door to her bedroom. Kikyou helped her out of the soaked gown, and into a dry, warm, clean one.

"I do not believe I ever knew the name of him." Kikyou admitted. "But I do recall Inuyasha had a half-brother, elder, and I believe I may have met him once."

Kagome gasped. "Alone? Did you fight him?" For a human to have survived, it seemed utterly amazing. The guy was scary, although he did look girly at first. It had to be the make-up. Why would a guy wear make-up anyway? What was his name again?

"No," Kikyou shook her head. The two of them sat on the floor, and Kikyou procurred a deck of cards. "Hojou-kun and Sasuke-kun taught me Slap Jack. Care to play?" Kagome nodded, and Kikyou shuffled and dealt the whole deck out. "No, I did not fight him. He was simply called 'my Lord' by a green toady, at the time. And with no other name to call him, I had to call him that as well."

"Well, how did you meet?" Kagome asked. "When did you meet? Before or after Inuyasha?"

"It was slightly before I first met Inuyasha that I met the Lord Demon for the first time. I had barely completed my miko initiation--that would be where you are taught everything, and you must go into the wilderness and defeat your first demon alone. I was tired, Slap Jack!" Kikyou slapped her hand down on the Jack of Diamonds, a smirk on her face.

"Aw, you're fast!" Kagome said. The two girls were trying to keep their voices down so they didn't disturb anyone else in the house who might be sleeping. It wouldn't be fair to them. Honestly, Kagome was grateful that Kikyou was awake to know of Kagome's stupid mistake. But the filled well disturbed Kagome. It had never been filled before, so why was it now? "What type of demon was your first?"

"Snake. Nasty, fast, vicious. Three foot fangs, the snake could have wrapped this house twice without a problem, probably three times. It had poisonous venom, powerful jaws, and it nearly squeezed me to death. I almost forgot to keep a level head; would have died if I hadn't." Kikyou slapped the Jack of Hearts before Kagome managed it.

"I never can keep a level head by myself." Kagome admitted. "I always end up saying something stupid that generally ends up with me running for my life."

Kikyou chuckled. "It comes when you find your element. Do you remember Midoriko? She was confident with a sword in her hand, but she was a priestess. Yana of the Sword, a priestess from the south, was actually best with not a sword in her hand, but a fan made of metal. We utilize our power best through these weapons. Mine became the bow."

'I don't think I have time to find an element,' Kagome thought. She would be dead before she found it. And having the right weapon in her hand didn't seem like it would make a difference. She'd forget how to use it. And she wasn't catching on to the bow very fast either. Inuyasha had remarked before that Kagome wasn't as good as Kikyou.

"But do not worry. You may not have been raised as a miko, but you are coming along nicely. You simply have a few things to work on." At Kagome's skeptical look, Kikyou amended, "Okay, a lot of things. But you're doing well."

Kagome changed the subject back to their previous topic, "So you met Inuyasha's brother after you fought the snake?" What was his name again? Really, it shouldn't be so easy to forget a frosty psychopath's name. "What happened?"

Kikyou noticed the subject switch, but she allowed it. "It was dark. I was sore and tired, and I ran into the Lord Demon. He was simply passing through, but he was a demon, so it was my sworn duty to kill him to protect the village nearby. I raised my bow and told him to stop."

"Did he?" Kagome asked. She'd forgotten about the game, scooting closer to hear more as if it would bring the story faster.

"He did. He gave me a dry look and said, 'I have no quarrel with you, miko.' At first, I didn't understand it. Why would he, a demon, be in the area if he had no quarrel with me, and meant my village no harm? He turned his head. He was sniffing. 'My quarrel is with the half-breed,' he said." Kikyou shook her head. "Then he said, 'You are no match for me, and it would be unwise of you to attempt an attack in your state.' A few days later, after I'd recovered, I was on my rounds through the forest when I came across a hill that over looked a deep valley. The Lord Demon was fighting Inuyasha there, and he was winning."

"Oh no!" Kagome frowned. "But Inuyasha didn't have the Tetsusaiga back then, and I don't think his brother knew about the Black Pearl then either. Why would he want to attack Inuyasha?"

"I'm not sure. Inuyasha fought hard, trying to keep up, but his brother was too much. Inuyasha was an inch from death when the Lord Demon stopped his barrage. He said, 'You will never be a match for me. You do not deserve father's blood, pathetic half-breed.' And then he simply left."

"Oh, poor Inuyasha. I knew his brother was crazy, but…" Kagome yawned, and Kikyou did shortly after that. Kagome grabbed her sister's hand and squeezed it. "Thank you, Kiki. It helps a lot. And, I promise you, we will defeat Naraku. Maybe a life growing old here isn't what you had in mind, but Inuyasha's here. You know? Maybe if you tell him…"

"No," Kikyou pulled Kagome abruptly into a hug, and Kagome only realized Kikyou's tears after the older girl's body started shaking. She rubbed Kikyou's back gently.

"There, there," Kagome said, surprised by this. She thought Kikyou would be happy. It was Inuyasha they were talking about. Surely if Kikyou explained what had occurred, Inuyasha would remember. "I'm sorry… you don't have to if you don't want to… but you're not back then anymore. You're not a priestess anymore, remember? You can have a normal life…" 'I wish I could,' Kagome thought.

"No, as long as the jewel is here," Kikyou sobbed noiselessly, making Kagome wonder what had Kikyou so upset. "As long as the jewel is here, there is no you… there's no me without you. I may have come first, Kagome, but… you gave me a life, Kagome. Just because you _say_ it's okay…it's not. Its… not…"

Kagome felt tears in her eyes and she had to take a deep steadying breath to keep the tears from falling. This was truly how Kikyou felt. That without Kagome, Kikyou wouldn't be able to go on. And it wasn't that Kagome gave Kikyou a normal life by taking the jewel. It was Kikyou feeling whole, and like she had a family.

Kikyou would hurt if Kagome gave up; if Kagome died in the end like the prophetic images she'd seen showed her to do… "Kiki," Kagome said, wanting to tell the other girl about what would happen soon. But when Kikyou looked at her with wide, hopeful brown eyes, Kagome found she could only smile and hug Kikyou again. 'Please understand,' she thought. 'I'll do everything in my power to make sure no one bears our burden again…'

--

Kagome and Kikyou were woken by their mother in the morning for school. They were curled up, holding each other as if they'd been twins since birth. As if they were inseparable. She noticed both of them looked like they'd been crying for a long time, and she wished she didn't know that if she didn't wake them they would yell at her.

Both of them were similar in that order. School was important to both of them, so much so that if they were late, they would be disappointed or upset. Kikyou might not be very verbal about it, but it showed in the young girl's eyes. Kagome was more than expressive enough for the both of them. Especially lately when she had to catch up on homework.

She gently shook them away, noticing they had been playing cards and that they were curled up on the stack on the floor. Kagome's hair was frizzy like she'd gotten it wet. Mama ran a hand through Kagome's disaster-nest of hair. "Kagome-chan, it's time to get ready for school…" she said.

She placed a hand on Kikyou's cheek, brushing away salt-stains. "Kikyou-chan, time to get up." Kikyou got up right away, but Kagome did not.

"Five…more minutes…" Kagome muttered.

Mama winked at the sleepy Kikyou as she helped the young girl to her feet and gently urged her to back up. "Watch?" Mama said. Mama looked down at Kagome and successfully faked a terrified gasp. "Kagome! All this homework to do, and you're sleeping?"

Instantly Kagome opened her eyes, shrieking as she began rushing to do her morning activities. In moments, she had gathered a clean uniform and was out of her room, and moments later the shower could be heard turning on. Kikyou said, "If she reacted the same way to demons as she does to her homework, she would be the best miko ever!"

That made Mama laugh. "You two will be fine. You'll take care of each other, just fine."

**End.**


	9. What audition has demons

**Title: Kagome and Sesshoumaru starring in...  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: Nope._

Chapter Nine: What audition has demons

Friday had unfortunately come at last, and though Kagome had assured herself a few times here and there that she would practice for the movie, she could not honestly say she had even looked once at the script. The lonely pieces of paper had somehow made their way into the paper garbage beside Kagome's desk, and she had worked herself so hard on her game of 'catch up' that at period times, her eyes would start watering uncontrollably and she couldn't keep herself from yawning.

But finally she had caught up, and was able to walk with Kikyou to school rather than racing off like usual. Kikyou was pleased by this fact, and so Kagome and Kikyou walked with their arms linked up together, cheerfully discussing general things of random nature.

They made it to school with spare time, so Kagome steered Kikyou toward where her three girlfriends were sitting under their usual tree in the park across the street from school. Kagome was unaware of how uncomfortable Kikyou was around her friends, but then again, Kikyou didn't complain. "Hey guys!" Kagome greeted them wearily but cheerfully.

Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka looked up and greeted both of them readily, surprised to see Kikyou there as well. "Kagome-chan, did you get it all done, finally?" Ayumi asked.

Kagome nodded, flumping to the ground beside Ayumi. Kikyou carefully knelt, folding her legs maidenly beneath her so there would be no chance anyone could accidentally see anything she didn't want to show with the ungodly awful short skirt she had to wear.

"Yes!" Kagome said. "You know how I loathe the teachers right now?" At the nods of ascent, Kagome continued raving, "Well, I think it would be just too kind to run their fingers through meat grinders!" She moaned and rubbed her sore hands. Her hands were inked, a semi-permanent proof of her hard work.

"Oh, Kagome!" Yuka laughed, capping her nail polish and blowing on her fingers. "We're almost done with school. You just have to stop getting sick!"

"Oh my gosh, Kagome," Eri gasped, as if remembering something. Kikyou winced at the girl's high pitch, but Kagome looked curiously at her friend for whatever was disturbing her. "Your—audition—is—tonight!" Eri squealed.

"Yeah!" Yuka added, "And you'll get to see all the famous actors!"

"I'm not really interested in all that, you guys. I don't know why you're bothering to talk about it." Kagome said as she yawned. She was still sleepy from a long night working on her homework. At least all that was done and after she failed the auditions--spectacularly of course!--she could go back to the past with a clear conscience just as soon as she and Kikyou figured out a way to get all that water out of the well.

"Because it's what everyone's talking about, Kagome!" Ayumi giggled, but her nose remained buried in her romance novel. "And we're queens of gossip!"

Eri laughed, reaching out to pluck Ayumi's book from her hands. Ayumi gave a disgruntled squeal and tried to snatch it back, but Eri backed away hastily. "Ayumi, if you take your head out of the books, your gossiping potential would grow. Come on, stop reading all the time!"

"Are you suggesting I don't know how to gossip?" Ayumi gasped, as if the very thought was terrible. "I'll have you know," she began, before lunging for the book again. Her fingers closed on the item and she held it to her chest fondly. "I really _am_ a queen of gossip!"

Yuka teased, "Okay, then tell us something juicy!"

Kagome and Kikyou shared a small smile, though Kikyou's was more spurned by the idea that the three teenagers before her were idiots and Kagome's was one spurned by the idea that her life would be perfect…if only she didn't have a prophecy to fulfill and a jewel to collect.

Ayumi stuck her nose up in the air loftily. "It just so happens that I _know_ something incredibly powerful, and if it got out, could be potentially hazardous to those parties involved!" Eri and Yuka looked eager for the news, and Kagome couldn't help but giggle at her friends' behavior. Kikyou simply looked politely intrigued, but secretly wished she was a million miles away.

"What is it, Ayumi?" Eri asked.

Yuka asked, "Is it about Yora-san?" The girls loved to fish out information on Yora-san; as always, the rivalry between Kagome and her friends, and Yora-san and her friends was near nuclear reaction levels.

"Actually, it's about the movies!" Ayumi didn't wait very long, but instead she glanced at Kagome and said, "I know Kagome-chan didn't enter the contest, but rather, _you two_ entered her!"

The news hit Kagome fast and hard, leaving her speechless to the point where her mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. Yuka and Eri blinked for a moment, trying to process the information as they wondered why it would be dangerous to their health. "Well, that's old news!" Yuka said finally.

"Not to me, it isn't." Kagome whispered softly. She pulled herself to her feet, slowly, feeling like a fish out of water. Even her own friends couldn't leave her be? Why did the world expect so much from her? What was this stupid movie supposed to prove anyway? She wouldn't do well at the auditions, and had guaranteed her failure by not even looking at the script she was given.

"Kagome-chan?" Eri asked, looking confused.

Yuka gasped, "Oh, Kagome, we forgot! Eri, we forgot to _tell_ her!"

"Exactly when…would you have told me?" Kagome asked them. She picked up her bag and threw it over her shoulder before realizing she was standing there glaring at them both. Before she could shed the angry tears, she turned to run. A warm hand caught hers and she found herself looking into Kikyou's worried face.

"Kagome?" Kikyou asked, only to be cut off.

Kagome yanked her hand away from her sister's. "Let me go," she demanded, though no one had a grip on her now. "I need to be alone," she said before taking off toward school. The bell rang, calling students to class, but Kagome didn't make it to homeroom. She found herself in the bathroom inside the girls' locker room, the door locked and her tears falling down her face freely.

Somehow after crying just ten minutes, a weeks' worth of exhaustion seeped into her and made her fall into a fitful sleep in the corner.

_"Ah, it is the little miko," said a soft voice from behind her. She turned her head, seeing through the haze and blur of falling rain to a man who was too elegant to be simple, but simple in his elegance. She looked around for Inuyasha, but her friend was nowhere to be found. _

_Her eyes fell back upon the man and carefully gauged his appearance. His light green hair was spiked straight up in the air, defying not only gravity, but the rain that pelted and soaked them both straight through. Two antennae-looking clumps of hair stuck out and curved over his yellow-green eyes. _

_In this darkness, his eyes glowed and each flicker of the lightning illuminated him like strobe lights in a club. His clothes were blue, and incredibly well made, and from the sides of that short, but unnaturally spiky hair emerged two ears as adorable as Inuyasha's except she doubted she'd get away with tweaking this stranger's ears. _

_"Do you know me?" she heard herself say, and she took a step backwards. A minute glance at herself showed her mostly white uniform illustrating the fact that she was a woman in a very immodest way. She had never met this man before in her life, and knew he possessed no jewel shards. But she did have to wonder if he was one of Naraku's incarnations. _

_Of course, then again he looked incredibly like Inuyasha. Was he a cousin, perhaps? Or a relative at all? She was pretty sure he was a canine demon. The swishing tail behind him looked remarkably like that on a golden retriever, and the ears only added to that idea, though his were cropped not floppy like a retriever's would naturally be. _

_"No, little miko, you do not know me… at least, not yet. I am Gojyoumaru, though you will not live long enough to remember this." the man chuckled, and his laugh sent strings of fear lacing through her body. Every natural instinct told her 'run'. She had a flimsy wooden bow, and her quiver was empty, so her hopes of surviving seemed stale. After a long moment's pause in which she wondered why Inuyasha and the others weren't around her, she watched a sadistic smile flash eerily on his features. _

_"Run!" he cackled, and her body was only too happy to obey, although she found herself weary to do so. Her body contradicted itself after just a few seconds of running; a stitch formed itself in her side and her breathing came in short pants. He wanted to chase her, she realized, and if he caught her, she would be dead. _

_She spared a single glance back and panicked as she saw he was at a measured pace behind her, his eyes dancing merrily. She wanted to scream at him to leave her alone, but thought better of wasting precious breath. She saw trees ahead, gloomy and forbidden looking, but hope made her enter them. With the rain, and the darkness of the trees, she hoped his vision and tracking skills would be thrown and she could lose him. _

_Toward the trees she went, and he seemed to realize her ultimate destination and knew what that would mean for him, so he sped up and blocked the path. In the effort of not crashing into him, she ended up skidding along the ground and lost her quiver and her bow to the mud. _

_He laughed at her and pounced, but as she rolled away her body collecting mud, he only landed in soft, squishy dirt, and she shot upward, rushing away from him as fast as her legs would allow for. Somewhere up ahead she could feel the radiation of one of the most powerful yet familiar auras she'd ever come across, and hoped that if she managed to get close enough, her silent stalker would leave her be. _

_She entered an abandoned mansion that had seen better days. It was run down to the point where even inside the building, there were places that the roof had caved in and entire sections of the mansion were falling down. Once she had entered the initial gate, she recognized the aura finally to be that of Inuyasha's half-brother, but something told her that he would not kill her. _

_So she continued forward, raced into the broken mansion and hid herself behind a large statue of a samurai… _

"Higurashi? Hey, are you okay?" Kagome glanced blearily up at the gym teacher, Ahmia-sensei. She was a kind woman, when she wanted to be, with short hair, pale skin, and a constant twitch in her left eyebrow. "When some of the girls told me there was a ghost in the bathroom and I heard you, I almost thought the same. Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing," Kagome said instantly, though her dream troubled her. She was always troubled by the dreams like that, because they felt too real to be anything but truth. So far, she'd only ever dreamed of those very first images she'd seen when the jewel was ripped from her body. But those dreams had felt exactly like this one, so it made her think this wasn't one to forget.

'Gojyoumaru,' she thought, saying it many times in her head so she didn't forget it. Why hadn't Inuyasha been with her? Where had he been? Hadn't he promised to always protect her? 'It was a dream,' she attempted to assure herself, but couldn't make herself believe it.

"You're looking pale, Higurashi…" Ahmia-sensei said, placing a palm to Kagome's forehead. It seemed everyone knew of her sicknesses—no teacher discounted. "Are you sure you're okay?" Kagome nodded and struggled to rise. Her body felt like it had been pummeled mercilessly.

"I'm really okay. I just got upset," she scrounged her brain for a reason as to why she could have gotten upset that would be believable, but thankfully Ahmia-sensei gave her a reason that was undeniably sound.

Ahmia-sensei asked, "Yora-san 'talked' to you about that movie contest, didn't she? You'll do fine, and if you want to win enough, you'll do it. Don't worry about what Yora-san says." Kagome smiled at Ahmia-sensei and nodded, though that wasn't even the start of what had happened and couldn't be farther from the truth.

She thanked Ahmia-sensei and asked, "What time is it?"

"Third period. You ought to get to class. I'll give you a pass; it's about time someone gave you a break." Kagome couldn't be more grateful, and accepted the pass with thanks. Ahmia-sensei didn't know how right Kagome thought she was. It really was about time someone—fate, hear that?—gave her a break.

She managed to make it through the rest of the morning, and ate lunch with only her sister. Her three girlfriends, Kikyou said, were staying away from Kagome for the remainder of the day because Kikyou had told them to. "They have done enough damage," Kikyou said with a wide frown. "And they do not even realize it. I think this makes it worse."

Kagome felt a blush rise on her face as she thought of her friends' actions. "They don't know." She said simply. "They'll never know. But I'm not going to get the part anyway, so it's not a big deal." Changing the subject, she brought up one that Kikyou had been evading. "How did things go with Inuya—I mean, Matenkashi-san, with the book and all?"

Kikyou picked at her lunch, peeling the crust from her sandwich and eating it. Even though she obviously felt reservations about eating it, she still kept feeding small portions into her mouth as she picked at it. She muttered something Kagome couldn't quite make out in the din of the cafeteria.

"What?" Kagome asked, leaning closer as Kikyou muttered it again, even quieter than before. "Kiki, speak up, I can't hear you." Then she realized what she should have known. Kikyou didn't say another word before Kagome—gossip intuitive Kagome—gasped. "You didn't go!" she accused, and Kikyou turned ripe red.

"I lost my nerve… He was going to drive one of those abominations, those vehicles, with me in it…" Kagome groaned. Kikyou's fear of cars was rivaled by Kagome's fear of bugs. "I could not do it."

"Oh, Kiki!" Kagome circled the table to hug her sister, knowing how much that book meant to Kikyou and the boys' project. "Would it help if I went? I could go after school with you! I'm sure we can find his phone number…"

Kikyou smiled at Kagome wearily even as Kagome noticed Hojou and Sasuke making their way over. The two boys sat at the table across from Kagome and Kikyou with their lunch trays as if they belonged their, and had sat across from the two girls their entire lives. "You have an audition to get to." Kikyou pointed out.

Kagome groaned, not wanting to have been reminded. Kikyou wondered how fleeting Kagome was—or how much she was thinking about—to have forgotten so quickly about that. "Oh no… Kiki, you look like me, will you do the audition?" Kagome asked half-heartedly.

"I do not think Mr. Roun would fall for it, Kagome," Kikyou pointed to her eyes and Kagome realized that the man would indeed remember Kagome had dark blue eyes.

That was when Sasuke asked, "Trying to get out of the movies, Higurashi-san?" Kagome nodded. "I don't see why! You'll beat Yora-san for sure!"

Hojou immediately looked at Kikyou, "Hey, Kikyou-chan," he was practically beaming at her, pearly whites flashing spiritedly. "I finally got a hold of your guy from that jewelry store, and he said he was free tonight if we wanted to stop by his place."

"Can we walk there?" Kikyou asked abruptly, and the two boys looked at her in confusion.

"No," Sasuke said slowly. "My parents said I could use their car though. It's a bit of a drive, but if we go right after school, we can make it back by dark." Kikyou's complexion became a pallid green. "I did tell you not to eat school food," Sasuke said, misinterpreting her illness.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun," Kagome began, "but Kiki doesn't like cars. Or any vehicle for that matter."

Hojou's lips formed an 'o'. "Bad history?"

"Car crash," Kagome said instantly. She turned her sister's face to hers' and looked at her sharply. "If I have to go to the movie audition, then _you_ have to go get that book!" Kikyou gulped, but she nodded, determination lifting her chin and a healthier color returning to her face.

"Alright, Kagome… I will," the bell interrupted her. They were forced to part ways, Sasuke, Kikyou, and Hojou going off to their classes, while Kagome had to go to her own.

That afternoon, Kagome got to leave school just in time to watch Kikyou walk in a state incredibly close to what she pictured a man going to the gallows would look like, before she got into the car. It appeared the boys had decided Hojou would ride in the back with Kikyou. Then her friends finally caught up to her, and with her still mad at them, she simply turned and walked at a fast pace.

"Kagome, you're not really mad at us, are you?" Eri asked, a hopeful look in her eyes that Kagome wouldn't be incredibly upset. Kagome made the mistake of looking at her friend and was caught off guard by the woeful look in Eri's eyes. "You should be happy!"

"I told you she'd be mad from the get-go," Ayumi said, drawing even with Kagome's left side. "You shouldn't have entered her period. If she gets picked at the auditions, and falls sick, then what? Really, you two need to think about that."

Kagome sent Ayumi a grateful look. Her friend's defense of her was not entirely unexpected, but entirely welcomed. "Thanks, Ayumi-chan," she breathed.

"Kagome-chan, you know I'm always here for you!" Ayumi said cheerily. "Unlike _some_ people," she added with a harsh tone and a glare in Eri and Yuka's direction.

"That's not true!" Eri said defensively. "I'm here too!"

"Yeah, Ayumi, where do you get off? Saying things like that?" Yuka said.

Eri continued, "We're Kagome's friends too!"

Ayumi let out a very unladylike snort. "Well, you don't act like it!"

Kagome groaned, very glad that 'running away' was far safer in her time than in Inuyasha's time where with her luck, she'd end up getting kidnapped by some crazy demon. Her mind provided her with the name 'Gojyoumaru', and she shivered slightly at the memory of the dream.

As her friends argued over who was Kagome's friend or not Kagome's friend, they had long since left the school grounds behind. Kagome let herself slip away using a crowd of pedestrians going the other way on the sidewalk and decided to take the long way home.

It certainly gave her much of that unnecessary activity called 'thinking' and she moaned internally about how she had a jewel to collect, high school to complete, a prophecy to fulfill, and now an audition to fail. Her plate was quite full as it was although it didn't seem to her that anyone expected that at some point in time, the over-burdened and under-trained priestess just _might_ like a break once in a while.

Sure, she loved her friends, as far as friends went. But ever since she'd fallen through the well, it had taken a toll on her relationships in her time because she couldn't exactly tell them, "Oh, hey, by the way! I haven't actually been sick the last four years."

She could just imagine how well that would go over.

"Not sick?" Eri would ask.

Yuka would be the next to talk. "What made you miss school then?" Ayumi wouldn't say anything, but she would want to.

In response Kagome could say loftily, "Hopping through a dry magical well to the feudal era, eradicating demons, breaking jewels, and making friends with cute half-dog-demons, fox demons, wolf-demons, fire cat demons, demon slayers, monks, and an old priestess."

Ayumi would then speak up. "Kagome, perhaps you should see the school councilor?" she'd say.

It would be the greatest mess Kagome had ever made. Her friends would think she was doing drugs, which would better explain her absences than the truth did. Who knows? Maybe she really was doing drugs… and had been high for the past four years? Maybe she really did need help?

But then how could she explain Kikyou? They couldn't _both_ be tripping the same on drugs.

Once home, she immediately noticed the expensive car parked at the base of the shrine and groaned as she recalled her afternoon schedule. At least she was caught up with her work from missing a month. It had been a long week. She still had to do that day's homework, and had a couple extra assignments as punishment for missing the classes that morning.

She wanted to get that done tonight so she didn't have to lug the books back and forth in the feudal era, though she doubted she'd get it all done with the auditions being tonight. "This bites," Kagome muttered as she crested the stairs and made her way gloomily toward her family home.

As expected, Mr. Roun was waiting for her with her mother in the kitchen. Kagome set her bag on the floor by the kitchen table, fully intent on taking the work with her to the auditions. If she was lucky, she might get a decent amount done. If she was extremely lucky, they might have her auditioning first and decide right away she wasn't right for the part.

She was going to keep her fingers crossed in hope for being extremely lucky.

"Kagome-chan," Mama smiled and hugged her daughter around the shoulders. "Oh, where's your brother and sister?" she asked, noticing the distinct absence of both.

"Kiki went with her friends to get a book they needed for a project. She's going to stay over at Hojou-kun's tonight, and so is Sasuke-kun." Mama's eyebrow rose slightly, but Kagome hurriedly assured her mother, "Hojou-kun's parents are going to be there! But the project they were working on needs to be done by Monday, so they're cramming. She promised to keep her phone with her if you need to call."

"And your brother?" Mama asked. Kagome sighed, rubbing tired eyes. Mama took that as an 'I forgot' and nodded. She would have to pick up Souta from school. She turned her attention to Mr. Roun. "Mr. Roun, I know we discussed me and my son going to watch Kagome," Kagome paled at the thought, "but we will come later."

Mr. Roun nodded but Kagome insisted, "Mama, you don't have to come!"

Mama giggled, "What do you mean? Of course I do! I want to see the look on Yora-sama's face when my baby girl beats her silly little girl at the auditions!"

Kagome groaned as she remembered that the Yora family and Higurashi family had 'history'. And it wasn't a good history either. She picked up her bag and said to Mr. Roun, "I'm ready, then…"

He looked at her with something kin to shock. "You're not changing?"

Kagome looked at her school uniform. "Is something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"No…" he started, then remembered that Kagome was far different from the other girls. She had no motivation for this activity, if it could indeed be called an activity. "Well, then I suppose we should be going." Would it be good that he'd be there before the other managers brought their winners, or bad to be the first?

Kagome kissed her mother's cheek, apologized for forgetting Souta (even if that worked in her favor slightly), and left with Mr. Roun. Mr. Roun cast a sidelong glance at the bag but said nothing of it.

An hour drive later, they were at the movie studio that the auditions would be held at. Most of the movie would be filmed in a very different setting, but some of it would be done at the studio. Kagome managed to get some of her reading assignment done for her literature class on the ride.

She crammed her literature book into her bag and followed Mr. Roun into the building. It was jam packed with people who eyed her curiously. All of them were in casual attire. Some of them had soda or coffee in their hands. Mr. Roun directed her toward where a man in a pricy suit and tie ensemble stood and introduced her.

"Injyouko-sama, this is Higurashi, Kagome. Miss Higurashi, this is Injyouko-sama, the director." Kagome bowed politely but only received a scowl from the director. Seeing him, she felt glad that she would not be winning the audition, even if her mother was coming to gloat. "Miss Higurashi is one of the winners of the drawing."

"Just shove her in a corner where she's out of the way, Roun! I don't have time for this." Injyouko-sama turned back to shouting orders of where things had to go.

Mr. Roun turned her away and led her in another direction. "Sorry about him," Mr. Roun said. "He's always that way. I've worked with him for fifteen years, and he does know what he's doing, he's just not very good with people. If you wait here, I'll see if I can find your acting partner for the clip and introduce you to him and his manager."

She nodded and made herself comfortable in the chair he'd led her to. She saw there were ten chairs and assumed they were for the winners of the drawing. She dropped her bag beside her chair and pulled out her literature reading homework. She still had quite a bit of reading to get done, especially since literature was one of the classes she'd gotten extra punishment work in for missing it.

She was left by herself for a long time and as she concentrated more on her literature reading, the sounds of chatter by the mass amount of people in the room faded into the background of her mind. The book itself was heartbreaking, a story about a piteous woman who had been kidnapped by two men. She'd read as far as learning that the woman had been tortured and raped for several weeks during the car ride.

Now she was reading of how the woman in a fit of madness managed to get a hold of one of her kidnapper's guns and shoot him. The other man wrestled with her to get the gun, and when he got it, he beat her into submission, then took his friend to the hospital claiming that he was shot in an alley by some gang members.

-

Sesshoumaru wasn't usually late to work. Sometimes for kicks or a change in his life, he'd be late, but now it wasn't his fault. With his brother moving back into his home along with the adopted boy Taku, Sesshoumaru had some unpleasant surprises. The plumbing in the east wing of the mansion was shot from years of disuse and that morning, the pipelines running to Inuyasha's personal bathroom had decided it was an appropriate time to spring a leak.

As he entered the movie studio and his eyes adjusted to the darker interior, he immediately noticed Shippou bounding over to him in a cheerful manner. The look on his face screamed, 'I know something you don't know', and it made Sesshoumaru feel like now would be a good time to clock Shippou upside the head. However, he resisted the urge, knowing that today would be 'one of those days'.

"Sess!" Shippou said with a grin, coming to an almost-screeching halt beside the dog-demon.

"Fox," Sesshoumaru responded evenly.

Shippou seemed unable to hold it in any longer. He fell into step beside Sesshoumaru as Sesshoumaru went searching out his manager. "The contest winners are getting here already! Four of them are here."

"Is that so?" Sesshoumaru inquired, not particularly happy about the subject. He'd been thinking about it a lot and the fact that the movies really were going to the lottery made little to no sense at all. Aside from that, he found himself worrying that the best actor would be the ugliest as well…

Now, Sesshoumaru had nothing wrong with unpleasant looking people. They were people too, and certainly had the right to enjoy life as much as he did. But he did have something against kissing ugly people, of which he would end up doing quite a few times throughout the movie if an ugly person was chosen.

"Yep! And so far, they're all pretty good looking, even for humans." Well, at least that was a start, Sesshoumaru thought. He gave up looking for his manager as the task seemed impossible and instead found a place partially away from the other actors to stand. He really didn't feel like getting into any 'how's your dog' conversations.

Shippou grinned. "You look relieved," he said.

"I feel at ease," Sesshoumaru admitted.

"Whatever. You know you're chicken that some ugly wanna-be will make the cut." This time, Sesshoumaru didn't hold himself back. He swiped at his fox-friend, and Shippou danced out of reach with a wide grin. Shippou childishly stuck out his tongue at Sesshoumaru before leaving him alone.

Glad to finally be alone and at peace, Sesshoumaru leaned back to relax a bit and allow his mind to wander. Something at the back of his mind was nagging at him, so he focused on that, and for some reason, it brought up _her_. He realized that the nagging came from the fact that he could feel her aura very close by. Wild and untamed, her aura seemed to pulse and sway everywhere throughout the studio, unhindered in any way.

He'd felt it every night that week, and it had bothered him to no end how she could possibly be alive. It made no sense. She had been a human, and she had died. Even if he could have found her body to bring her back to life, she would have died of old age by now.

He pushed himself away from the wall, though he knew searching for the source would be in vain. He couldn't remember what she'd looked like, so there was no way for him to know if it was really her, or a reincarnation. He placed his bets on a reincarnation despite that.

The source of that memorable aura came from a petite young woman sitting down in a chair with her head bowed over a book held in one hand and her chin propped on her hand. Slouched as she was, her long black hair fell in a wavy tumble over her shoulders to pool both in her lap and around her shoulders. Her pale skin looked almost ghostly against the bright white of her school outfit. She stared at the pages of her book with unnatural looking dark blue eyes, and a frown brought together the perfect arches of her eyebrows.

Curious to know what she was reading, and hoping that talking to her might help him figure out if it was her or not, he made to move toward her. A hand on his arm stopped him. He looked and saw Shippou, for once with a serious look on his face.

"I wouldn't go by her," he warned him.

"Why not?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Shippou said, "I'm not sure, but I get the feeling if you do, she's gonna freak. I don't know if it's possible, but she might be my mama's reincarnation… or even my mama. I never knew how the well worked."

"So you sensed the familiar aura also?" Sesshoumaru asked the fox, and received a nod.

Shippou lowered his voice a little. "I don't know if you knew this, but the human priestess, Kagome, was from the future." Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the fox, fearing for the boy's sanity. "She really was. I saw her disappear down a well hundreds of times!"

"They recommend psychiatric treatment for such ailments," Sesshoumaru murmured.

Shippou replied hotly, "It's true! Why is a priestess from the future so unbelievable? I mean, look at what _we_ are!" Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes, but knew the fox had a point. "It's been real close to five hundred years since Naraku's defeat, so maybe that's her, but maybe we missed the real her and that's another reincarnation? I don't know, but if that's the real her, I think we'll know by the end of the night."

Sesshoumaru thought of those implications wonderingly. If that was true, then didn't that mean this girl could possibly be _her_? Sure, at the time she had been traveling with his brother, but for a short period of time… He looked back at her slouching form, far more curious now than he'd ever been before. He had a name to give _her_ now; Kagome.

It was an ordinary, commonplace name. But it seemed to suit what little he remembered of her. Why hadn't he ever put the name to her before? He'd heard Inuyasha talk of her many times before, and must have heard her name hundreds of times from the half-breed's lips.

"How do you intend to find out if she's the real thing?" Sesshoumaru inquired. "If she is not the one, and you tell her anything, she will think of you as crazy."

Shippou's shoulders lifted in a shrug. "You'll see soon enough." he promised. Sesshoumaru disliked waiting. "In the meantime, just don't let her know you're here, okay?" Sesshoumaru nodded.

-

"Miss Higurashi?" Kagome closed her book at the sound of Mr. Roun calling her name quietly. She looked up at him and was surprised to see who stood by Mr. Roun although she tried not to let it show on her face. She was also angry at herself for not sensing his presence sooner.

"Yes, Mr. Roun?" Kagome asked, fixing her eyes on the elder gentleman.

"This is your acting partner for the day, Fox, Shippou, and his manager Mana, Uto." Kagome stood and accepted the outstretched hands, greeting both of them politely. Shippou looked exactly like her little fox boy, except he had human legs, human ears, and definitely no twitching tail. She wasn't as surprised to see him as she was to see Inuyasha, but couldn't tell if Shippou recognized her or not.

Still, she wasn't quite sure of the outcome of things in the past so she wondered if somehow the memories of her were removed from their minds afterward. Then again, it was possible that Kikyou was wrong and Inuyasha was a reincarnation. So maybe Shippou was one as well? It would explain the memory loss, wouldn't it?

Five hundred years would also explain the memory loss, she supposed. That was a long time to remember what someone looked like, or smelled like, or sounded like. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Fox-san," Kagome told him respectably. "I must apologize; the other girls mentioned movies you were in but I have not seen any of them."

"Oh? How come?" Shippou inquired. Kagome thought he might have a genuine interest in why she hadn't seen his movies, but she supposed that was natural.

"I'm always busy with school." She said in a simple excuse. She waved her literature book in example. "I have to work hard to get a good future," if she survived that long, she thought bitterly. "Watching movies seems inconsequential."

"Well, then why would you enter to star in one?" he wanted to know.

Kagome felt her cheeks redden and held her book to her chest. "My friends entered me in, and I am the jester that dances for bad luck's queen." He laughed at that, and she decided that reincarnation or not, she liked this older Shippou's laugh. "I must also apologize to you in advance."

"For what?"

"Well, even now, I don't really think I am going to go watch your movies."

Shippou shrugged. "I don't mind. Anyway, I won't keep you any longer." He parted easily with his manager, but Kagome knew she would end up seeing him again soon. He was her acting partner according to Mr. Roun. She sat down again to continue reading her book, but within moments was interrupted.

"Oh, look! It's a crummy, bookie named Higurashi!" Kagome looked up to see Yora-san standing over her with a gleeful smirk on her face.

Kagome turned back to her book and drawled carelessly, "Oh look, it's the skank named Yora." she dropped the formality, since she knew it would irritate the other girl, though not having the formality on her own name didn't really bother her at all at the moment.

"How dare you!" Yora-san growled, looming over Kagome. Kagome could feel the attention Yora-san was attracting at them. Eyes turned toward them both.

"Keep at it, Yora," Kagome said. "They don't yet know that they're dealing with rabid fans." Kagome wasn't exactly concentrating on the book, though her eyes were staring in the direction of the open pages. She was looking internally, trying to find that bit of her that could sense demons. Kagome hadn't sensed any aura around Shippou. Yora-san didn't have any demonic aura either, though Kikyou was so sure Yora-san was a full dog demon.

She felt Yora-san sit gracefully beside her in the chairs and her body tensed up. There was nothing in the world more dangerous than a rival, Kagome was sure, and Yora-san was as much Kagome's rival as Kouga was Inuyasha's and vice versa.

"She dies in the end," Yora-san said, in an attempt to ruin the book for Kagome. That was another thing Kagome just hated about Yora-san. Not only was Yora-san a pure beauty with her long, flowing black hair, her heart shaped face, big brown eyes, full pink lips, magnificently tanned and unblemished skin, and her tight, but curvaceous figure, but she wasn't at all brainless. She was incredibly intelligent, and her family was extremely well off.

Could it be possible that Kagome had lost her ability to sense things like demonic auras and enchantments and spells now that Kikyou was alive again? No, that wasn't possible, because she could feel the presence of the two jewel shards she carried. They were carefully stowed in a locket, the slivers fitting inside the round silver pendant perfectly.

"Does she?" Kagome asked, looking up from the book. She saw that Yora-san was dressed in a beautiful dark blue skirt and a mother-of-pearl blouse, her hair braided down her back in a tight French braid. She looked stunning, and even Kagome's mouth felt dry looking at the girl.

Yora-san smirked, lips turning upward slightly. "Infuriated by the judge and jury's decision, she kills the judge, her attackers, and then turns the gun on the jury as well injuring four of them before she's killed by the police."

Kagome closed her eyes and snapped the book shut. "What do you want, Yora?" she asked suddenly, but Yora-san didn't even flinch at her sharp tone.

She simply stated, "You're so ordinary, aren't you? You're sick so often, it's pathetic. Why you even put up your name for this, I'll never know and I don't want to know. I was surprised you even managed to show up today; you've been pale and sickly since this morning. But you shouldn't have come."

Kagome had to pause to remind herself to breathe, she was so angry. Pathetic, was she? Yora-san didn't know what she had to go through to keep the world safe and as it was. If Kagome didn't go, if she decided to give up as she'd thought of doing many times, if she let Naraku get the jewel shards and make his wish, who _knew_ what kind of world Yora-san would then live in?

And for this, Kagome was pathetic? She had to remind herself that Yora-san didn't know all of this. But it was hard to remember. "Why shouldn't I have come?" Kagome asked.

"Why? Because you're about to be humiliated and shown up in the worst way. I'm going to go up there and exceed, and you, my dear, are going to fail like never before. I'm _going_ to get this part, and there's _nothing_ you can do to stop me." Yora-san giggled musically and left Kagome to her musings.

Could this part be that important? Was acting in a movie that much of an honor? Didn't she have enough drama in her life without Yora-san adding onto that?

Thankfully she wasn't left to think for very long. Shippou came to find her and said, "Higurashi-san, we're splitting into groups. You'll be in group A, with me and a few other actors. Would you come with me, please?" She shoved her things in her bag and picked it up, following Shippou toward a corner to a door that led to a smaller room with a staging area.

Inside the room, a young man was setting up a camera while four others lounged in various spots of the room. "Won't I get to watch the others audition?" Kagome asked somewhat nervously. She wanted to be able to know what she was up against, so she knew how badly she had to do to make sure she fell last on the list of 'good winners'.

"No, we've got too much to get through." Shippou explained. "First, we'll film you as you perform the scene with me that you were given to practice. Then we've got a few acting activities on improvisation to film to judge your reaction time and see how well you work under pressure."

'This shouldn't be too hard,' she thought, nodding her head in understanding. 'Since I never even looked at the script, I won't have problems failing that one.' She watched Shippou head toward a door on the other side of the room, not sure if she was supposed to follow or not. Her answer came when the young man with the camera called to her.

"Higurashi-san, will you come over here?" she set her bag against a wall and walked over to him. "What we're going to do first, is I need you to stand right over there by where Ohnji is. Hey, Ohnji!" one of the actors looked in their direction. "That's Ohnji. Just stand by him and do what the script says."

"I didn't even look at the script once," Kagome said honestly, and immediately got his full and complete attention as he looked at her in disbelief. He opened his mouth to say something, and she said, "I didn't have time! Can I be honest with you?" He nodded hesitantly, as if not sure he wanted to hear what she said next. "My friends signed me up for this; I didn't want it."

"Well, your name was picked…" he sighed. "All you really have to do is scream anyway so let's just get this over with."

Kagome climbed up onto the stage and walked over to where Ohnji was standing. Props were set up around them to look like a small village in the feudal era. The four actors set up in various places, but the effect looked like a small village market. Despite there only being five people, Kagome thought it was a good imitation, if that was what they were going for.

The man at the camera called out to Kagome, "The part you play is that of an adventurous and rebellious feudal era high lord's daughter. You've just managed to sneak out of your father's castle without your guard. Since you didn't read the script," she got curious glances from the four other actors, "just improvise this one and we can forgo the improv exercises."

The lights dimmed, and Kagome found she couldn't see anything beyond the stage she was on where light flooded from stage lights above her head. She looked around, and was surprised that simple wooden structures could look like the real thing from her angle. A glance at the floor told her they had even got so far as covering the stage with dirt.

Once the lights had dimmed, she heard noises from every angle around her. The sounds made it seem as though more people were there than she could see. Included in those sounds were those of distant cows, and underfoot chickens. She almost had the feel that she really were in the feudal era and it amazed her.

Before she really knew what was happening, she found herself caught up in things. Despite that these people were wearing modern attire, she found herself easily forgetting that. She heard Ohnji talking to her, and looked back at him, almost expecting him to be Inuyasha or Miroku. He wasn't though.

"You alright, Izayoi-sama?" Ohnji asked her, surprising her with the name. She shook her head to clear away the familiar thoughts. Hadn't Inuyasha's mother been named Izayoi? How odd that they would choose just that name for their movie character.

"Yes, I am," she breathed, bowing just slightly to Ohnji. She really had no idea what she was supposed to do, and now she was thinking that reading the script might have been in her favor, at least so she knew what she was supposed to do and then could do everything the opposite. She'd forgotten that the camera man had told her all she'd be doing was screaming.

It was a split-second later that Ohnji, on cue with something—she didn't know what—fell into her. She tried to catch him so he wouldn't fall and hit his head, even if she suspected the larger man would be able to catch himself. She gasped as he leaned on her and spat red liquid onto her school uniform, and even though she rarely ever felt a demonic aura in her time, she could now feel one, incredibly powerful, just a few feet away.

Ohnji's large body blocked her visual of the demon. Her eyes were wide on the red stain on her school uniform and a single word repeated itself over and over like a mantra in her head. 'Blood,' she thought, 'that's blood.'

The boundaries between where she was (a feudal era like setting in a modern day Tokyo movie studio) and where she'd seen so much of similar red liquid (the true feudal era) disappeared, and for her, the setting was real. She found herself with no voice to speak of as she attempted to lower Ohnji to the ground. It took her several tries just to speak, and she couldn't make herself look up at that demon just a few paces away.

In the background, she heard screaming and wide spreading panic. From the corner of her eye, she saw people racing away. But it wasn't just a farce for her anymore. She'd completely forgotten it was just a movie audition. She didn't remember that Ohnji wasn't dying but only acting.

Finally she managed to speak, "Oh, heavens, it's going to be okay." She whispered, but felt herself go cold as his muscles relaxed and he stared blankly at nothingness. She felt tears pressing the back of her eyes and they slipped down her face. As she carefully lay Ohnji's head on the ground, she could hear herself say, "This is my fault, all my fault… if I hadn't come here…" 'The jewel shards, it must be the jewel shards,' she finished in her mind.

She stood, trying to prepare herself for a weak and most likely futile struggle against a demon she could already sense was more powerful than she was capable of handling. Probably than she would ever be capable of handling. But to her death, she needed to keep the jewel shards out of evil hands.

'Inuyasha,' she cried in her mind, though she knew he would never hear her five hundred years ago. She was definitely not prepared for the face she encountered. "Se-Sesshou-m-maru," she stammered, but she placed herself between the strangely clad demon. His face, and his hair, and his eyes, and those markings made it clear that he was himself, even in a tee-shirt that said, "Aliens" on it.

"You would go against me, girl?" he asked, his eyes filled with amusement.

Kagome tried to put strength behind her voice, but her ears were ringing to the point that she could not hear herself speak. "How dare you, Sesshoumaru! I thought you were at least not without honor! What did that man do to you?"

A screeching 'CUT' by the man with the camera brought her delusion crashing in on her and Ohnji got up off the ground cheerfully dusting himself off. "That was really good, Higurashi!" Ohnji told her, clapping her on the back as he pulled a cloth out of his pocket and wiped what she had thought was blood away from his mouth.

She looked around in confusion, not too sure what was going on. She cringed as Sesshoumaru approached her, his molten gold eyes gleaming emerald green for the briefest of seconds. He looked happy as he pulled off a long, silver haired wig to reveal bright red hair.

"Shippou," she gasped, wondering if she ought to laugh or cry as he put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her in a congratulatory sense. The whisper of 'mama' in her ear made her settle for a combination of both actions. Shippou remembered, so why didn't Inuyasha?

"That was pretty good, Higurashi-san," said the camera man as he crawled up on stage to shake her hand enthusiastically. "And what you did better fit the character of Izayoi too; rebellious _and_ stupid in the face of danger!"

'Is that how I am viewed?' she wondered, knowing she'd only done what she would have done if it were real. Of course, she tried not to recall that two seconds before, it _had_ been real for her. She shuddered as she glanced at the sticky substance on her uniform. 'Would this obviously fake blood have set me off if I had not lived through all I've lived through in the feudal era?' she asked herself.

No answer was forthcoming.

"But protective," the camera man continued. "Our character Izayoi was willing to fight against the most dangerous of creatures for something she believed in. Too bad the director and script writer are dead set on Izayoi being a dimwit." he rubbed the back of his neck. "Cliché of all clichés, if you ask me."

Shippou said, "That viewing party's tonight, right?" at the camera man's nod, he looked at Kagome. "You're coming to it, right, Higurashi-san?" She didn't know what to say. On the one hand, she knew she needed to be getting back to Inuyasha, but on the other she knew the well was still full of water for reasons unknown and she'd just sit at home otherwise.

Aside from that, now that she knew Shippou was indeed Shippou and not Sesshoumaru, she was going to chew his butt out for his awful behavior. She didn't even have any warning signs to show he even recognized her. She felt herself nodding her head that she would go, as if in a trance. She would go, she figured, but certainly only to find out for sure she had failed. Although the happiness of the camera man at how she had auditioned (she really thought she was in the feudal era, why did that have to work in her favor?) gave her a sinking feeling.

**End.**


	10. What miko faints

**Title: Kagome and Sesshoumaru starring in…  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: I do not own "Inuyasha". _

Chapter ten: What miko faints

The viewing party was located at Vokun's restaurant, one of the most expensive and proper restaurants in the entire city. Celebrities could be found at all times of the day at Vokun's. She could remember once as a child, her father had taken the family to Vokun's for an evening of fine dining.

But she didn't like the place. She knew all too well that celebrities had bad sides. Her father, who worked so hard to provide for his family, was killed by a drunk celebrity who was racing away from the press. It was all the more reason Kagome had to stay away from the unfortunate graces of fame. She was quite comfortable being a lesser mortal.

Of course, then fate would spit in her face because there she was, dressed up in expensive European finery and feeling much too constricted—especially in the area of her bosom. Shippou had certainly gone all out, insisting she be bedecked in jewels and silks and have her hair professionally done up.

Her gown was a soft pink color, but it had a deeper pink shine when the shadows hit it, and was almost blinding when the light hit it. The pink gown had spaghetti thin straps that she didn't quite trust, and Shippou had insisted on a similar pink colored sheer overcoat. Seen through the sheer overcoat, she was embarrassed to say, was more cleavage than she'd even realized she had.

Her hair was pinned up in a way that made her head ache, and had diamonds imbued in silver lengths braided into it, just like pearls were attached to her dress. The only bit about her he had no control over was the beautiful, enchanted bracelet she'd found in the feudal era. Otherwise she was all pearls and diamonds and expensive silk and lace and high heels that killed her feet. And she even wore silk arm length gloves to cover her mostly bare arms. It had been tricky getting it on her left arm, since the bracelet was clearly not coming off.

Shippou had gone overboard, she decided, attempting to slouch. She immediately had to stand up straight again, or risk suffocation. Not only had he gone overboard, but he had been sure to disappear the minute they got to the party to evade getting yelled at. Oh, yes, she was going to yell at him for scaring her.

But she did wonder… how did Shippou get so much money? Sure, surviving five hundred or so years might have had something to do with it. And how come he so clearly remembered her, but Inuyasha didn't? It was a troubling thought.

But even dolled up with pinned up curls, make-up, a ton of jewelry, and clothing so tight she was half-suffocating, she couldn't help but marvel at the majesty before her. She felt like Cinderella in the fairytale. There she was, with some of the most beautiful and famous people around her. The press was everywhere, floating like ghosts as their cameras snapped photo after photo.

Kagome blinked as a glass of champagne (or what she would assume to be some form of alcohol in a champagne glass) was shoved into her hand by a server. Despite the obvious fact that she wasn't old enough to drink, it appeared no one else cared. Still, with the press floating about, she didn't need to be crossing lines into illegality. She walked over to a table lining the walls and set the glass down.

Hands free, she turned to admire the gathering. Shippou had assured her she was prettier than anyone else, but it was so easy to feel inferior to all of them. They had been primed for these events, and Kagome was more of a hands-on type of person. She was usually the one who ended up covered in blood and guts, even though she didn't like it. Granted, Inuyasha was usually the one to slice the demons up in a way that spurted blood in all directions, but still…

It was hard to feel pretty when she was used to being considered disgusting.

And, as Inuyasha was eager to point out often, stinky.

Up on a balcony high above the partiers, a real live orchestra played soothing classical music. Some people were dancing and enjoying themselves, others were standing in groups deep in discussion on some issue or another. Shippou was nowhere to be seen; he was still hiding from her.

She let out a sigh. It was definitely an event of majestic proportions, but it got boring quickly without someone to talk to. She was even beginning to think that Yora-san's presence would be gratifying, as scary as that thought was. If she could have snuck a book in the tiny little pink purse, she would have, but she'd even left the purse in Shippou's car, with her silver locket containing the jewel shards inside the purse (though she wondered now if that might have been a mistake). Her homework wasn't getting done crammed in her bag in the back of Mr. Roun's car, after all.

With nothing better to do, she simply found a space in a corner of the room to watch. All she came here for was to make absolutely sure she didn't win the contest. She would have been much more comfortable in her school uniform. Shippou had to make a big deal of a little fake-blood stain, then insisted on the formal wear she was now garbed in that could only have cost several thousand, or hundred thousand, dollars.

It was back in the corner of the room that Mr. Roun found her with two others. At first, her eyes widened as they fell on the tall man with Mr. Roun. The short man was of no consequence to her, but the tall man, she grumbled mentally, she was sure to know. Of course, then her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she half-listened to Mr. Roun.

"Miss Higurashi, I would like to introduce you to Matenkashi, Sesshoumaru and his manager Nokojukushu, Ohma. Matenkashi-sama, Nokojukushu-san, this is Higurashi, Kagome." So, maybe it wasn't another of Shippou's tricks, but she was backed into a corner (of her own choice, mocked a sinister voice in her head) and if it was the real thing… maybe she needed to jump-start her sanity and start screaming?

No screams came to her lips though. She plastered a smile on her face. She'd met Sesshoumaru so few times, and he was an arrogant ass. It was highly unlikely she did anything to leave a lasting impression. Five hundred years probably gave him definitive clause to forget about her.

"Matenkashi-sama is lead male in the movie. If you get the part, you'll be his counterpart." Mr. Roun explained with a smile. Kagome's eyes locked with Sesshoumaru's as she tried to cipher whether or not he might remember her. He showed no sign of recognition, just like Shippou had not initially.

Kagome sighed internally. 'My life is complicated,' she thought in a severe understatement. Not only was her life complicated, but she had a five hundred year younger homicidal maniac on the loose in the feudal era, and now the same homicidal maniac was apparently loose in her time. She would have to check the news for mysterious deaths. If there were any, she might have cause to worry.

"It is very nice to meet you," she said, attempting a bow before remembering that wouldn't work well in the tight, god awful European dress. She figured if he didn't remember her, she wasn't going to remind him. After all, she defied him every time she met him, and usually called him rude names too.

His lips turned up in a small smile that made her heart literally stop beating for a few short seconds. 'That smile… is _so_ unnatural…' She thought. It wasn't right, because his smile sat so perfectly on his face. It was the kind of smile that would melt hearts (unless one knew there was a murderer behind the mask). She couldn't help but wonder if he would kill her or was plotting some evil deed.

Then again, she had to keep reminding herself that five hundred years had passed for him. It was so easy to forget that, since it had barely been a week since _she_ was last living that time.

The silence between the four of them became almost oppressive with all the chatter going on around them. She realized she didn't know how to talk to a killer. Were their minds big enough to comprehend small talk? So rather than speaking, she simply stood there with a nice little smile plastered to her face, her hands gently clasped in front of her, and her eyes on anything _but_ the tall, silver haired actor-person before her.

Mr. Roun scratched the back of his neck. "Well, this is a little awkward…" he muttered.

Nokojukushu-san chuckled. "It really is! I mean, the rest of the girls practically threw themselves at Matenkashi-sama." Kagome's cheeks slightly pinked, she stared adamantly at the group of people to her left. They seemed to be discussing the weather—perhaps a recent storm.

Sesshoumaru then said, "It is a welcome change." He shifted, and his movement caught Kagome's eye to his left arm. His hand was there… Well, that changed a lot. This wasn't Sesshoumaru. It was a similar looking incarnation. And now that she was looking at him, she realized his tattoo things weren't there anymore. He seemed bare without them.

She couldn't help but sigh in relief. 'He's the _reincarnation_ of a killer. It's only half as bad as the real thing.' She decided mentally. Small talk, then. They clearly expected it, just like they had expected her to swoon and throw herself at his feet… Of course they wouldn't realize that if she did that, the dress probably wouldn't allow for getting back up again, because she wouldn't be able to bend her back, and the heels of course were not the 'let's be clumsy and fall' type of heels.

"So, I guess this movie thing is pretty big, huh?" she said, wincing at her own lameness. She could have picked a better subject. The weather, politics…

"Very." Sesshoumaru responded. Once they'd seen Sesshoumaru and Kagome attempting weak small talk, the two managers seemed to evaporate into the crowd. Sesshoumaru said once they were gone, "My apologies for my manager. He insisted I spend time with each of the winners."

Kagome waved her pink silk hand in dismissal of the apology. "It's alright. I only came here to be sure I didn't win after all. I guess it is only fair to punish me by sticking me with famous people as well." She grinned at her own joke, and was surprised to hear him chuckle.

"So it is true, then? You didn't practice for your part, nor did you sign up on your own?" He inquired. She saw his eyes fall on her left arm, and the bracelet around her wrist there. Instantly she moved to cover the bracelet with her free arm, embarrassed for reasons she had no idea of. Was it that he saw the bracelet, or was it because she didn't practice?

"It is true." She admitted. "I've been really busy with school, and… and I get sick often, so I fall behind in my schoolwork." She felt subdued as she said it. 'Is this what my life will be like? Constantly pretending I was sick all through high school—no one ever really knowing the truth?' "My friends thought they were doing me a favor."

"Sick?" Sesshoumaru glanced at her with a surprised look as he accepted a glass of champagne from a server. She was offered one—this server was nicer than the last who just crammed it in her hand—but she declined. "You look healthy to me."

"I must have a weak immune system or something. I am often ill, resulting in extended absences from school." She pulled her arms around her body, once again cursing fate for the prophecy. If she survived her own prophecy, then this _would_ be what life was like. She might as well give Sasuke a chance if he asked her out again. Unless he gave up on her already…

"Well, that may be a problem if you get the part," Sesshoumaru pointed out. He then changed the subject, seeming to realize her discomfort at their current line of conversation. She was grateful for the change. "The bracelet you wear is different from the other jewelry."

Kagome blushed a deep hue. "Um, yeah… It is." 'It's enchanted, whereas the others are not,' she added in her head. "But Shippou let me keep it on because of the diamonds imbued in the leaves." 'Shippou didn't have a choice,' she amended. Even he hadn't been able to get it off. He'd gotten frustrated and tried to break it off, but that didn't do anything but hurt her, and melting it wouldn't work since that also would hurt her.

So it was securely stuck there until further examination of the jewelry's enchantment could be done. Then she remembered what Hojou and Sasuke had said about the jewelry. Matenkashi, an actor, had the rest of the set of the Twilight Moon jewelry. She latched onto the subject instantly and held out her arm so he could view the bracelet.

"I've been told that an actor by the name of Matenkashi has the rest of the set. Would that be you?" She nearly flinched when he reached out to take her hand in his own, bending slightly to examine the jewelry with a critical gold eye. He just looked so much like the real Sesshoumaru. "My sister and her friends are doing research on the Twilight Moon, and it's been very hard for them to get even the smallest bit of information."

"Hm," Sesshoumaru said, releasing her hand. "I do indeed have the rest of the set, though this particular bracelet has been missing for several hundred years. How did you come across it?"

She pulled on a loose curl, watching it bounce back into shape. She could get used to curls… "It was at my family shrine. Quite some time ago, I found it and put it on my wrist, and immediately got scolded for it when my grandfather found out." That was true enough. She'd done something like that when she was younger, only it had been a necklace 'supposedly enchanted'. "My grandfather lectured me for hours about enchantments and spirit possession."

"Ah, so you believe the bracelet to be enchanted?" Sesshoumaru seemed to believe her little fib.

She held out her hand. "Well, you could try taking it off, though good luck with that. Kiki tried, Shippou tried, I tried. None of us had luck."

He reached out, turned the bracelet until he had the clasp, and then as easy as if it didn't matter at all, he undid the clasp and set the bracelet in her palm. Her eyes went wide. But she could feel the magic in the bracelet… how did he… that was impossible… She went to ask him how, and saw there was a smirk on his face. He bowed to her. "It has been an interesting conversation. Good luck with losing." He left before she even had a chance to remember her own manners.

'That was _not_ a reincarnation.' She thought with awe. 'He's real, he's changed… a lot.' There was no way he was a reincarnation… not for him to be so… what was he being? The only real differences she could see were his looks, and his non-killing attitude. Take away those two things and sure he might seem a wholly different person, but she hadn't really known him all that much to be judge of him. So he wanted to kill his brother—and tried to carry out those plans—big deal. She sometimes had it in for Souta too.

Shippou found her a short while later, staring at the bracelet pooled in her hand. She kept clasping it and unclasping it, but it didn't lock, so she wondered if it had to be around something, like a wrist. Still, she didn't want to test it out on herself. "Shippou, hold out your arm," she said, before her feudal era son-like-creature could even greet her.

"Huh?" he said, then did as asked. She clasped the bracelet around his wrist, and it easily unlatched. "Isn't that the thing we couldn't get off earlier?" he asked as she cupped it in her hand again. She nodded, her eyes scanning the crowd for Sesshoumaru. She could see him and his manager with another young girl and her manager. Then his manager and the girl's manager left the two.

The girl appeared very excited and chattered almost endlessly. It seemed Sesshoumaru couldn't get in much more than a nod or a shake of his head to her questions.

"So how did it go meeting the real Sesshoumaru?" Shippou asked her suddenly, a grin planted on his face.

She had to refrain from hitting her red-haired friend. Public displays of aggression might not be camera-friendly, and with the press floating on clouds of self-superiority, she had to be careful. "How did it go?" she asked, glaring at him just slightly. "You could have warned me! I thought he was a reincarnation up till the end."

"Oh? What changed your mind about him?" Shippou asked, all curiosity in a bundle.

She indicated the bracelet in her hand. "I think he knows some sort of way to release it." Like a release spell? Boy, did it sound like a rosary then. But it should be safe to wear now, if it didn't latch on around Shippou's arm. Which it hadn't. And holding it in her hand was getting annoying.

She put it back on her wrist, and thought for a moment that Sesshoumaru had turned his head to look at her but dismissed it as him just shaking his head at the girl he was talking to.

"I'm bored," Kagome said as a server offered her something rather wrong-looking to munch on. She declined. 'Isn't escargot…snails?' she wondered as Shippou ate it. She must have turned green because he grinned… and then shoved more in his mouth. She had to look away.

She and Shippou talked a bit on the weather, but really she was having difficulty figuring out how to talk to these people whom she'd found so easy to talk to a week ago… five hundred or so years ago for them. With Sesshoumaru, all she had to do was yell a bit, call him an arrogant jerk-face, and then prepare to die. With Shippou, all she had to do was appear and instantly he would be jabbering about his day and begging for candy.

None of this was right. None of this was proper. It was going on midnight; she should be in bed. Unlike them, she had a schedule, and an irritable half-breed waiting for her at home. She was lucky he hadn't sniffed her down and burst in. That would definitely be something to try explaining to the government. 'Haha, yeah, sorry… forgot to mention I keep a collection of demons down a well…'

Then, the ice broke. Shippou asked her to dance. Her heart jumped off a cliff. Dancing? In public? With angry famous people glaring at her for reasons she had no clue over? She felt him take her hand and he didn't wait for an okay. He led her out to where others were dancing on a large open area. She'd never danced before in her life, except with her dad when she was really little, before he died of course. And at the time, he'd hold her in his arms and just swing her around in wide circles, or else let her stand on his feet.

Standing on Shippou's feet might not work here, and swinging her around would be a mistake. He pulled her close to his body, making her heart race. Was it okay to feel this way over the very adult Shippou when the young child Shippou never, ever made her feel like she was incredibly too warm? It was as though the two were entirely different people. This future Shippou was older brother to the feudal era Shippou to her. Still, logically she knew he was one and the same…

His hand went to her waist and rested gently there while his other hand picked up her open hand and then, not wanting to have her hand seem just deadweight, she rested her free hand on his shoulder. It was strange at first, dancing to the lilting classical music played by an orchestra high above their heads. She stumbled a lot, nearly tripped them both before Shippou—with amusement in his eyes—decided she couldn't dance. He began telling her the steps before they had to do it, and then she started getting the hang of it.

The orchestra seemed to play music forever, one song after another, and he just led her through step after step as if each song had its own rhythm. Then finally the music had stopped completely and Shippou whispered into her ear, "It's time. Are you ready?"

She gulped. She would find out who won now. With luck given her from Sesshoumaru, she would lose for sure. A killer like him knew when and where to give out luck, surely. Or what if he gave that luck only because he thought she would need it? What if he had some sort of insider's insight? What if he already knew the winner?

She felt herself latch onto Shippou's arm in fear as the annoying director guy, Injyouko-sama was his name, went up to a podium that rested beneath a rather large projector screen. She was terrified with how her luck was, because she got the sinking feeling that fate would again betray her. It was all that camera-man's fault, for cheering her good performance. And Shippou's illusion too! Shippou would be blamed for it if she won.

"Ladies and Gentleman. The tapes have been reviewed by thirty randomly chosen members of the cast and crew and a decision has been made. But before revealing the lucky girl who will play the part of Izayoi in our movie production, thanks must be given to those who have worked so hard to make the auditions and the raffle a big success. To show the world the performances that played a major part in judgment, we have chosen thirty-second clips from each girl's performance." Injyouko-sama waved to the projector screen. Everyone watched the screen as the lights dimmed, but camera flashes lit up the room momentarily.

Then, there was noise; a loud scream came from speakers placed all throughout the room and on the screen, words played. "The scene given to all winners was purposefully written vague to further the intention of interpretation by the winner."

Then, the feminine scream died down and they could see actors dressed up in the real costumes to be used. Words played across the screen again. "The real scene," it said.

The woman on the screen shuffled a bit in her beautiful robes. She was talking to a man in a guard's uniform. The guard said, "Izayoi-sama, we must head back!"

"I'll go back when I'm ready to go back," said the female actor, waving her hand at him in dismissal before walking around him. "After all, father's too busy waging war with the dog demon clans to know I'm gone anyway!" It showed just the woman on the screen, not the male guard.

Then screaming people rushed past her and the woman turned around to see what they were running from. She screamed, and it became known that her voice was the scream heard a few seconds earlier when there were only words on the screen. "Kyo!" she cried, falling over the guard, who appeared to have blood all over him. "Kyo! Kyo, wake up!" she screamed.

Then Sesshoumaru was shown. The woman glared at Sesshoumaru (or was it Shippou in disguise?) and said, "What have you done, demon? He did nothing to you!"

"He was in my way to you."

"You can't have me!" the woman said defiantly.

"Would you go against my will, human?"

The screen went black. Clapping sounded all over the room for the preview of the movie. Kagome immediately turned to a darkened profile view of Shippou's face. "Was that you or Sesshoumaru?" she demanded. He had looked almost exactly like Sesshoumaru earlier that day. Perhaps a few inches shorter was the only difference.

"Me," Shippou said. "I am playing _Sesshoumaru_ in the movie. That's my character. Sesshoumaru is playing _Toga_."

"Oh… ok." Kagome said in uncertainty. She wondered if it wasn't farfetched to think the story was based on some truth. She hoped to be around when the final product is out. Maybe she could watch it, even though she rarely ever watched movies anymore.

Some words flashed across the screen. "Winner number one: Shinri, Shoka." It played the same amount of the movie that the first video had played, though the characters were not in costume and they weren't the same people as in the first video clip either.

The same went for the rest of the winner clips. None of the winners screamed and ran toward the 'Kyo' character, however. They screamed and ran away. Not even Yora-san had interpreted the scene for running toward the 'Kyo' character.

It appeared Kagome was the only one who did no interpretation at all, yet she groaned as her clip was closest to the first, actual clip.

Kagome, as Izayoi (in a modern day school uniform) stood there on the screen staring at all her surroundings. "It looks so real," had Kagome really said that aloud?

Then Ohnji, obviously playing 'Kyo', chuckled at her. "It does look different from the castle." Silence reigned for a moment, then Ohnji could be heard saying, "You alright, Izayoi-sama?"

"Yes, I am," she breathed, bowing just slightly to Ohnji.

It was a split-second later that Ohnji, on cue with the sound of flesh being struck (Kagome knew the sound) fell into her. She tried to catch him so he wouldn't fall and hit his head.

Ohnji and Kagome blocked the camera's visual. She attempted to lower Ohnji to the ground. It took her several tries just to speak, as just squeaks seemed to come out of her mouth.

In the background, screaming and wide spreading panic. People were racing away. Finally she managed to speak, "Oh, heavens, it's going to be okay." As she carefully lay Ohnji's head on the ground, she could hear herself say, "This is my fault, all my fault… if I hadn't come here…"

And then Kagome looked up. "Se-Sesshou-m-maru…" Then she stood in the way, almost as though guarding Ohnji.

"You would go against me, girl?" he asked, his eyes filled with amusement.

"How dare you, Sesshoumaru! I thought you were at least not without honor! What did that man do to you?"

Kagome realized with surprise that her clip had played the whole thing. That was definitely longer than thirty seconds. But rather than the minor clapping that the other video clips had, there was a tumult of hoorah and cheer for Kagome's 'interpretation'. She had been petrified, and they were congratulating her for it?

Then the lights came back on and Injyouko-sama was again at the podium. "Great job to the actors, and to the crew who made this possible. Congratulations goes to all the winners, but as you know, we have only one who can take the part and she's in this room right now." Kagome felt weak in the knees already and her grip on Shippou's arm was making him attempt to peal her away.

There was a long, dramatic pause. And then… "Higurashi, Kagome, please come up front." Kagome couldn't help it. Almost as if the world was swept out from under her feet, she fell down in a dead faint.

End.


	11. What wakes with salt

**Title: Kagome and Sesshoumaru starring in…  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: I do not own "Inuyasha". _

Chapter eleven:  
What wakes with salt

Kagome groaned as salt invaded her sleep and carried her on false wings back to the realm of consciousness. And she had been so happy without being awake too. It was just unfair. Her first break in a long time, and salt was what disturbed it.

"Kagome," Shippou was calling her. She sighed and gave in to waking up. She opened her eyes, blinking multiple times as light she wasn't used to invaded her sight. Shippou called out loudly, "She's awake!" There was a tumult of noise as Shippou helped Kagome stand, although it was so hard while wearing her stupid dress.

People were clapping because she was in pain. Or were they really? What if they were simply clapping because they thought something good had happened? Why had she fallen asleep? She tried to remember, but all that came to mind was the tightness of the dress she was wearing.

Maybe she passed out from lack of oxygen to the brain? With the tight dress, she supposed it might be a possibility that she shouldn't immediately rule out. A glance around her told her that she wasn't the only one suffering in fancy clothes.

Then it hit her, almost in the same fashion as a brick to the face. "Oh goodness…" she sighed as Shippou urged her forward, walking with her toward where Injyouko-sama was standing at a podium. 'They kept smelling salts for this purpose,' she thought miserably. 'I hate them…' she decided abruptly.

Shippou whispered in her ear, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of cameras clicking and loud clapping and cheering and 'congratulations'. "There's a small party tonight at Sesshoumaru's place. Only a select few are invited."

"That's nice," Kagome sighed and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "I'd rather just go home. I've had enough for one night."

"Too bad," Shippou smirked. "You have to rely on me, and I'm going right to Sesshoumaru's place. You're coming." She felt a smile force its way onto her face but it was definitely not an 'I'm so happy' smile. It was more of an 'I'd like to strangle you but people are watching' smile. He hardly looked worried.

She lifted the hem of her dress as she attempted to mount each stair up onto the podium. Oh, she was definitely not made for dresses, heels, or podiums.

Injyouko-sama said into the microphone what everyone already knew, "Ladies and gentlemen, our winner, Higurashi, Kagome!" If it was even possible, the noise became so loud that thinking was not the only impossible thing to happen in that room.

Kagome's eyes searched the crowd from the height of the podium. In the back of the room, standing by a visibly upset Yora-san, was the modern version of Sesshoumaru. But it was Yora-san that Kagome wanted to see. And that brought a genuine satisfied smile to her face to see Yora-san so disturbed.

Injyouko-sama asked Kagome, "Is there anything you would like to say to the world, Miss Higurashi?"

For a few seconds, the world held its breath and Kagome couldn't stop herself from accepting the chance to speak. She would do this, but only because of the look on Yora-san's face. She _could_ quit tomorrow, but tonight, she would do this. She would speak to the world. Because Yora-san would never, ever accept the part now, not since Kagome won first.

She walked the two feet to the microphone, locking eyes with Yora-san. That smirk held a place on her face and Kagome knew that if her mother were watching, she too would be gloating at the success the Higurashi family had over the Yora family. "Thank _you_."

Yora-san was clenching her fists as Kagome stepped back. Those present seemed surprised at her short speech. Most of them thought it would be a lengthy, airy speech incorporating many 'oh my gosh' and 'like'.

But when was Kagome ever accused of being normal? She hopped in a magical well and traveled to another world; normalcy officially ended at fourteen and three-hundred eighty-four days, because fifteen—nothing was normal after that.

Yora-san knew what was left unsaid. 'Thank you for losing'. Yora-san had said that to Kagome so many times, it was about time Kagome returned it. And it was even funnier to Kagome because Yora-san had warned her ahead of time that Kagome would be going home a loser.

It really did feel good to be the winner. The Higurashi family was back on track.

"Long winded, aren't you?" Injyouko-sama laughed and his joke extracted laughter from those present. Kagome smiled but her eyes remained on Yora-san. Her fingers fiddled with the strange bracelet she'd found in the feudal era. She didn't hear anything that Injyouko-sama said after that. She was too busy smirking at Yora-san.

Finally everyone seemed to flutter away from the party and the press began to disperse after the famous actors and actresses. Kagome climbed down from the podium with help from Shippou. Without a ladder, it was actually hard work. Again she cursed the creator of heels.

"You're really beautiful in pink, you know," Shippou approved. He held her hand as she used her free hand to lift the front hem of her dress and carefully walk down the steps. She made it down to flat ground again and flashed him a smile induced by the high of winning against Yora-san.

"Thank you, Shippou," she said, acknowledging the compliment. "Although I'm not really certain black is your color." She said the tease in a quiet voice. She watched as he grinned and gently pulled her hand away from his. Perhaps tonight wasn't so bad after all, but she was getting tired and she did want to go home.

They walked by a few members of the press who were milling about waiting for a chance to talk to those who had remained behind (such as Injyouko-sama) and left the building. Once outside, she shivered in the cool night air. Shippou instantly gave her his jacket.

She was surprised to find it draping on her, almost dwarfing her small form. It was almost strange to have him all grown up. She almost wished it hadn't happened, or she hadn't met him in this world. It was hard to tell if he was the same Shippou she knew and loved.

Plus, there was a strangeness to this new version that she couldn't identify.

Shippou held his passenger seat door open for her and she got into the flashy red car. Her bag was in the backseat and her purse was underneath the front seat. They drove off, the press following them every mile of the way.

"I'm not going to take you home just yet," Shippou admitted. "The press are like tether balls; you bounce them away and they just swing back around the other way. At this point, I'm not sure if you really want them knowing where you live."

She felt a sigh burble out of her throat. "They're going to find out anyway," she pointed out. "Would you rather they start rumors?"

"Oh, it's not a big secret about the party. The press knows, they're just not invited. Why don't you want to go?" He looked thoroughly confused. She supposed having lived a life as long as his, he had no use for menial tasks such as 'school'.

"I really need to get home, Shippou," she told him. "I'm tired, and my family is waiting for me. I have school work to do, and not only that but I'm still working with Inuyasha to piece the jewel back together."

"All the more reason to enjoy life while you can!" Shippou pointed out. "I mean, school sucks monkey balls, your family could use the break to know you're not off gallivanting with potentially homicidal demons chasing you around, and Inuyasha shouldn't always get what he wants! Why can't you live your life a little?"

"You pointedly ignored the fact that I'm tired," she yawned, proving her point.

"Sesshoumaru has plenty of beds!" Shippou continued to insist, and she gave up her attempts. She fell asleep right in the car as they drove, and it was two hours before they made it to Sesshoumaru's mansion. At three AM they were exiting the vehicle and Kagome barely registered the fact that Sasuke's parents' rickety old car was in a corner of the long turnabout driveway.

They walked (she stumbled) to the front door and knocked. They were admitted by a tall, blocky man wearing a French maid's outfit. If anything woke Kagome up, it was that sight. She actually shrieked. "Oh my god!" she yelped, latching onto Shippou's arm. It was _not_ right, and her befuddled mind screamed the wrongness.

The man really was a man; flat chest, scruffy chin, thick mustache, and hairy legs included. He wore fishnet stockings and as he greeted them, his voice was incredibly pitchy. "Hellooo!" He sang cheerfully, swaying his hips almost as though he would grab them up and hug them to death.

She'd faced down demons that were less scary! And she was pretty positive that was a human. Shippou laughed at her. "Myron, this is our winner! Kagome, this is Myron. He's Sesshoumaru's butle—er, maid."

"Dear heavens above," Kagome prayed, "let me go _home_."

Shippou continued, "Myron only works on days that Sesshoumaru has people coming over."

"I will never, ever be bad again," Kagome continued praying. "I will never 'sit' Inuyasha again. I will never tease Shippou with promises of crayons again. I will let Miroku grope my bottom if that's what it takes."

Shippou burst into laughter and led her into the house past the very scary cross-dresser. Semi-normalcy returned once they were inside the house. As Shippou had said, it was a small group of people. She counted perhaps fifteen people. Kouga was easy to recognize, but she hoped he wouldn't remember her.

To be frank, she did not need him to suddenly see her, scoop her up, and declare she was his woman. She had to deal with that enough in the feudal era.

And after a short nap, she did feel a little more ready even if her hair was a little mussed and her dress was slightly wrinkled from sitting in the car. She was introduced formally to the people in the room; Kouga showed no sign of acknowledgement when Shippou introduced her. He simply greeted her and was then called away by a female actress.

Mostly the actors and actresses asked her questions on what she thought of the audition process. She was surrounded by five people including Shippou when one asked her what she thought about the raffle in itself. They'd heard she didn't really want to win to begin with.

She told them, "I'm rather annoyed on a deeply personal level mostly due to the fact that my friends were the ones to sign me up for the raffle, but also because professionalism has seemed to be completely thrown out the window for a raffle." They shared a laugh over that and asked her if she would do the movie or decide to give it up.

Her answer for that question was, "I'm quite positive Shippou is intent on convincing me around, but my intentions are hopefully as clear as window pane."

Eventually after an hour or so, most of them went about to do whatever it was they wanted to do. Some people left, and some people milled about talking to one another about this or that. It was at that time that Sesshoumaru approached Kagome. Shippou left almost immediately on seeing that Sesshoumaru was coming over, and left Kagome to her own devices.

She wondered again if she was supposed to be feeling rather nervous. Surely he wouldn't kill her in front of all these people? But at that point, she realized that Myron had come and was telling everyone the small greeting party was over. It was four thirty in the morning.

Before Sesshoumaru could even say anything, Kagome said, "That kit better not have left me here!"

Sesshoumaru simply smiled that strangely befitting smile of his. How did he do that and not kill people of heart attacks at the same time? It was considerably confusing. "Would you like to see the rest of the jewelry set?" he asked her.

She glanced at him. Most prominent in her mind was whether or not she should trust him to keep her alive in the meantime. He seemed to recognize her train of thought because he added, "You have my word. You will remain unharmed while in that decidedly expensive gown."

She felt a blush come to her face. "I'll make sure to keep it on for the rest of my life then," she mumbled. He laughed and waved for her to precede him out of the room. "Why are you being nice to me?" she asked in a low voice as they walked down an empty hall.

"Because you were kind to me," he shrugged, one hand flicking his long free hair over his shoulder. To her, that said a hundred things. Most of it she did not like.

"You _do_ remember me…" she gulped. The last thing she could remember saying to him at their last meeting was that he was a hard-headed, stubborn, arrogant youkai who really needed to be taken down a peg or two. Then, to spite him and his attempts to kill Inuyasha, she'd called Sesshoumaru a girl-wannabe. In fact, she could never really remember a time when she had ever said something nice about Sesshoumaru considering he was always trying to kill her best friend.

So that basically meant that sometime in the future she would meet Sesshoumaru… but they were going to meet on far different terms than usual. She felt a shiver go down her spine. She didn't think she liked that.

And yet there she was, walking with him to who-knew-where. Her heels clicked noisily on the stone flooring, and his dangerous hands were dangerously close to her. Everyone seemed to have left… she didn't think anyone was around anymore…

She was quite possibly alone with him… He was going to show her the jewelry set that the one she wore matched… Where was Shippou?

End.


	12. What book is important

**Title: Kagome and Sesshoumaru starring in…  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: I do not own "Inuyasha". _

Chapter twelve:  
What book is important

They sat around a table in the large library of the Matenkashi residence, pouring over single book, their heads almost glued together and their eyes absorbing every word. They finally had it. The Twilight Moon book that Kikyou had accidentally stumbled upon in the paranormal section of a book store was in their hands.

Inuyasha watched the three with curiosity as he picked up his sleeping child. It had grown very late in the evening. When the three had gotten to the mansion, Inuyasha had let them in and offered them a drink. The girl, Kikyou, was curiously pale and croaked out that she would do well with a glass of water.

She was a very interesting creature, and Inuyasha couldn't help but feel like he knew her from somewhere. After brief introductions, Inuyasha led them to the library where his boxes of books had been taken by the movers. He'd given them the book and had expected them to take off after that, but the curious Kikyou had asked then, "You said you knew the author? Do you think we could talk to him?"

Inuyasha had been startled. The book was already signed—his brother had done so earlier before leaving. The problem was that Sesshoumaru had written the book under an alias of Su Jin and Inuyasha wasn't sure Sesshoumaru would agree to meet with them.

Then Hojou had said, "It's okay if we can't! We're grateful for what you've done already." Sasuke had nodded agreement, but there was such a hopeful look in Kikyou's eyes that he wondered how he could possibly deny her. Her face remained as motionless as stone, but her eyes spoke volumes that words, he knew, would never be able to portray.

So he had said, "Let me get a hold of him before you go. I'll see if he has time."

Kikyou's eyes screamed gratitude, and she calmly said, "Thank you, Matenkashi-sama," bowing all the while. He'd offered for them to sit at a table in the library, and now hours had passed and they still sat there. They seemed not to notice the passage of time and were almost through reading the entire book. All three of them were taking notes on parts they felt important.

Inuyasha had made a plate of sandwiches and offered it to them, but they hadn't noticed it. He was sure it wasn't meant to be discourteousness towards his hospitality, more than they simply were too engrossed in the book. From what he could gather, the three of them were doing something for school on the Twilight Moon, and their project was overdue already.

He carried Taku out of the library and headed for the room Sesshoumaru had offered up for Taku, his thoughts still on the three visitors, but mainly circling around the strangely familiar young woman. Taku really liked her, and had taken to watching her all evening. And when the first few attempts to get a hold of Sesshoumaru hadn't worked, he had thought of telling the three they should go home, but then her image came to him unbidden and he couldn't bear the disappointment he knew he would see.

But he had always been that way. Weak to the whimsical expressions of women, ugly or beautiful. So he hadn't mentioned how late it was getting.

Once Taku was in bed, Inuyasha pulled his cell phone from his pocket and once more attempted to get a hold of Sesshoumaru. The phone rang several times but he got the voice mail again. "Hey, Sess," he said into the phone, "call me, okay? It's almost one AM now." He flipped the phone closed and sighed. The doorbell was ringing. He went down to answer it, admitting Myron the cross-dressing butler.

"Oh, Inuyasha-sama!" Myron gasped eagerly. "I didn't know you'd be here! I simply thought when Sesshoumaru-sama said someone would be home to let me in, Jaken-sama would be here! It is wonderful to see you!"

Inuyasha flashed an annoyed glance at Myron. He still wished Sesshoumaru hadn't hired this guy. It was unnerving. Myron was a cross-dresser, and seemed to be gay too. The cross-dressing part didn't bother the half-breed…the latter did. "I don't wish I could say the same," Inuyasha muttered, but Myron appeared not to hear.

Myron flounced into the house, his French maid's skirt flapping as he swayed his hips. "Oh my, my!" the butler gasped, running his manicured finger across a surface close by. "Such dust has gathered since last I was here. I shall scour the place, top to bottom, Inuyasha-sama."

"You do that." Inuyasha grumbled. He was about to close the door when the catering service showed up. He let them in and they greeted him cheerfully. He was much happier to see them than Myron. They at least dressed like normal people. There were only three of them, and Inuyasha could never remember their names. They were there to prepare the food for the little after party Sesshoumaru had said he was going to have for some fellow actors and whoever the lucky winner was to be.

He did chat for ten minutes or so with the people from the catering service as they asked how things were going. He was glad they didn't inquire about the bruises on his face. His soon-to-be ex-wife was very strong, especially when drunk. Since she was rarely sober, she was strong most of the time.

He could remember the day he first met Reiko. She had been quite docile then, and very kind to him. He'd been trying to escape the busy life of the royals. Having grown up basically alone, he really wasn't used to the way nobles would treat him. Inuyasha had only been vocally accepted as family by Sesshoumaru one year prior, so he hadn't had much time to grow accustomed to things.

Reiko had been the daughter of an ambitious noble who wanted to get closer to the throne, but Inuyasha hadn't known that. When he met her, he'd known quite immediately that she was of noble descent. She'd been a pretty little thing, thin, very sweet, and kind to him where others were not.

Soon, he began seeing her more in the places he went, and he'd thought it a great coincidence. It wasn't until later, much later, that he'd found out she'd purposefully put herself in his way. She'd had her eye set on him. He'd thought he was in love with her, and that she loved him in return. He asked for Sesshoumaru's permission to court her, since at that time Sesshoumaru was all too willing to point out that he was Inuyasha's alpha in the pack hierarchy. All decisions would be made by Sesshoumaru, and Sesshoumaru's decisions were final.

Sesshoumaru's response had been a rather cryptic warning explaining how deceitful young noble women were, and then he told Inuyasha, "You may court her, but you may not bed her."

Inuyasha had blushed profusely; he had never been good with sex-related conversations, and his brother had been blunt about it. Still, he had been curious why not, so he asked about it. He had been more than surprised by the answer.

"Because that is what she wants _you_ for." Sesshoumaru's face had remained blank as he spoke, but Inuyasha had nearly fallen on his head. He could remember spluttering some nondescript and incomplete statements to the contrary, but Sesshoumaru had given Inuyasha a firm look and said, "She will try to bed you, may even go as far as drugging you to do so, and once she is with your child, she will rely on your pride to force you into marriage. If you were to turn her down for marriage, she would deface our family name. She is a noble, and they are all the same. Court her, but do not bed her."

Inuyasha still hadn't believed Sesshoumaru, but he really had no one else to look to for guidance. Shippou was even younger than Inuyasha, and it had been over a century since Sango and Miroku died. So, Inuyasha asked the noble Reiko if he could court her and she agreed—maintaining a sweet, docile look—and he brought her presents and flowers and they went on walks and picnics often for the next twenty years. When she became all he could think about, he had decided he wanted her by his side and had returned to Sesshoumaru to ask if he had permission to marry her.

Sesshoumaru had said, "You may marry her, but you still may not bed her."

Inuyasha could still remember his fury over that, but he was glad for the order now. "Why?" he had demanded.

Sesshoumaru had glanced at Inuyasha with a withering look that promised pain before speaking almost as though he were talking to a child. "Because if she has a child, I will kill it. I will not have her bad blood in our line." Inuyasha remembered going ballistic over that offense, and the two fought.

But after that, Inuyasha and Reiko were wed and gradually he learned of things he would never have believed had it not happened to him. Reiko was a heavy drinker in private. She portrayed a kind, loving, earthly beauty to the world, but she was a nasty viper during the night.

A week after they were wed, Sesshoumaru had seen Inuyasha hiding in the garden from his wife's vicious temper. It was late at night. Inuyasha's pride wouldn't let him tell Sesshoumaru, especially since he still believed himself in love with her. It was just him, he kept telling himself, because he made Kagome mad too.

Sesshoumaru had sat down on the ground beside Inuyasha and for a long moment, they were silent. Then, when the moon was preparing to set, Sesshoumaru repeated his order. "You are not to bed her." Only once did Inuyasha nod, and a fat, moist tear trickled down his bruised face, but he had agreed.

It was that night when Sesshoumaru had also given Inuyasha an order that would forever change the younger boy's life. Sesshoumaru had heard of Inuyasha's jewelry making hobby. Inuyasha managed it rather well and had collected a short sum of money by that time to get by. Sesshoumaru had said that he had need of commissioning an article of jewelry that would take quite some time to make due to the fact that the materials that would make it were all in different parts of the country.

"You may not take your wife." Sesshoumaru had said after he explained what materials would be needed and what the end product should look like. Sesshoumaru said if Inuyasha made it, he would have permission to open a jewelry shop.

After that, Inuyasha got along more and more with Sesshoumaru, and he was able to put up with Reiko… that was at least until recently. She had slapped Taku and called the young boy a worthless half-breed. That was what made Inuyasha decide he was through. She could beat him up, but to beat up a kid who couldn't defend himself?

Just thinking about it got Inuyasha growling and he had to run upstairs to check on Taku and make sure he was okay. Taku was fine, and on the way back to the library, Inuyasha ended up being waylaid by Myron who didn't know how to shut up. Inuyasha also couldn't bring himself to storm away, fearing that Myron might think he wanted to be caught. It had actually happened once before, so Inuyasha had room for consideration there.

He was only too grateful when his phone started ringing. He looked at it, and used it as an excuse to get away from Myron. Once he was away, he answered. "Hey, Sess." He said.

"What do you want, pup?" Sesshoumaru said.

Inuyasha looked at his watch. "It's almost three in the morning. I thought you were supposed to be back by two?"

"We had a little set back." Sesshoumaru chuckled.

"Oh, really? What kind of set back?" Inuyasha was admittedly curious. Something that could get Sesshoumaru chuckling like _that_ was worth checking into. Usually that chuckle meant something very good happened.

"The winner fainted. We had to wake her."

"Fascinating," Inuyasha drawled. That was hardly interesting.

"Anyway, I'm almost home now. What is it you wanted?"

"I've got three people who would like to talk to Su Jin. It's those three who're doing the report on the Twilight Moon. I had you sign the book for them earlier, remember?" He heard a noncommittal grunt on the other end. "The girl wants to talk to you about the Twilight Moon. I said I'd ask."

Inuyasha could just imagine Sesshoumaru shrugging as he talked, "Sure, why not? Are they still there?"

"Yes." Inuyasha said as he entered the library. A glance at the table showed the two boys had laid their heads down on their arms and were sleeping. The girl was still fascinated by the book, but she appeared to be right near the end, on the last pages. "Looks like two of them fell asleep."

"It is late, after all." Sesshoumaru said. "Well, rouse them enough to place them in guest bedrooms. They're your responsibility. Anything gets stolen, it's—"

Inuyasha sighed. "I get it, I get it," he said. "Anything else, King Worship?" he asked his brother.

"No, I think that's all for now. Was that all you wanted?"

"Yes," Inuyasha said, and Sesshoumaru hung up without saying goodbye. Inuyasha walked over to the table and touched the girl's shoulder lightly. She looked at him, startled and confused momentarily before remembering where she was. "Hey, it's getting late. I got you a meeting with the author, but it won't be until early morning. If you'll come with me, we have guest bedrooms you can use."

The young woman blinked at him and he thought for a moment she may have actually fallen asleep with her eyes open while reading. He had heard of stranger things happening. "Guest bedrooms?" she said, almost as though she were testing the words. She looked at the book, and then at him again before smiling. "Thank you, Matenkashi-sama."

Again, at the sound of his surname and the formality from her lips, he got the unrealistic feeling that he was being distanced from her. But that didn't make sense, did it? He didn't know her! He barely met her a short while ago.

Shaking his head, he said quietly, "Perhaps you should rouse your friends? I'll go and get something for each of you to change into while you sleep and then direct you to your rooms."

--

Kikyou watched as Inuyasha left the room, and her heartbeat stopped racing only when she could no longer hear his footsteps. She had been so close to him in that moment. She could smell him. He still smelled like the wilds, of trees and grass. But there was more to that smell now; the faint scent of metal clung to him.

He was older now, and seemed far calmer than he used to be, and more patient. She'd watched under her lashes as he'd carefully picked up his son earlier, and her heart had swelled dangerously. She was so _close_ to him, and Kagome was nowhere around… She had also nearly blurted out everything to him twice during the evening. Who she was…how she knew him…wanted to demand why he couldn't recognize her.

Five hundred years, she reminded herself. That was a long time to keep a face. A lot could happen in that time. Maybe a lot had happened. After all, she had only been alive again for a couple of months, but already so much had happened to her and she was rapidly changing. She was growing accustomed to the modern world, and even though she longed for fields of green and trees and her everyday dealings with the village, she found much to do to take her mind off of it.

So once he was gone, she shook Hojou's shoulder gently and the young man dazedly opened his eyes. "Ng," Hojou muttered intelligently before blinking away sleep and looking around, trying to remember where he had fallen asleep. He looked at Kikyou and smiled at her. "You're very beautiful in the morning, Kikyou-chan," he said when he was awake enough to talk sense, but still asleep enough to forget to keep his private comments secret.

Kikyou felt her face flush in delighted embarrassment, although she couldn't explain why such a silly compliment would make her feel that way. She tried to push the embarrassment down, but Hojou chuckled sleepily and sat up. He kissed her cheek, emboldened by the fact that he really wasn't entirely awake. She felt blood rushing through her ears, almost making her dizzy.

"Your beauty still stuns me." He said. "You're like… a ray of…" he yawned, "sunshine on a cloudy da—eee, I mean," suddenly he was awake and blushing profusely. She had to bite back a smile at her friend as he insistently attempted to deny what he had just said. "I never meant anything by it, I mean, you're not like a ray of sunshine, not that you're not very pretty, but…"

She snorted in the attempt to fight off the giggles. And then his look of dismay made her start giggling helplessly. "Oh," she started, still trying to regain her perfect control. Since coming to the new world of Kagome's, Kikyou's emotions were quite tried. She got to feel a sweltering amount of new emotions she had never been allowed to know before. "It's alright, Hojou-kun," she assured him. He hid his face in his hands, as though trying to will away his redness.

Kikyou turned to Sasuke then and woke him up. Sasuke groaned and sat up, looking sleepily at his friends before saying, "Hojou, your face is all red… Are you sunburned?"

Hojou muttered, "Or something like that…" Again, Kikyou couldn't hold back her laughter. She tried to get herself under control at least enough that she could tell them what was going on. It wasn't working too well. "We should probably get home," Hojou said finally, looking at his watch.

Kikyou managed to stabilize her giggles long enough to say, "We have been offered rooms to stay, and an interview with Su Jin in the morning…"

Inuyasha came back shortly after that, and Kikyou held the book to her chest, still greatly humored over Hojou's actions. He gave them each a set of pajamas and showed them each to a room. Kikyou changed from her school uniform into the button up top to the pajamas. They were too big for her, and the top fell to her thighs. The collar kept falling to reveal her shoulders, and the pants to the outfit were too big to wear.

As she lay her head on the pillow and comfort rose to embrace her, she wondered how Kagome did in her endeavor. Sleep claimed her as dawn began to light the room through the overly large windows.

**Thanks to all of you who reviewed! This wasn't my intended chapter, but I decided I felt like writing what happened to Kikyou (sort of) during the time that Kagome was in the little party thingy. It's not much up to my usual writing standard, as it's mostly filler and all that good junk, but I simply felt like writing it, so I did! **

**Next chapter: Kagome, meet Su Jin.**

**..._insert squeal_...****"Su Jin?! I've read all your books, oh my goodness..."**

**..._insert blush_..."I can't believe it!"**

**..._insert nervous poking of forefingers together, a shy look at feet_..."I can't believe this...all this time...it's been him...the mysterious Su Jin, whom I have admired and adored ever since I could read..."**

**..._insert curious looks from others, before Kagome looks up at Sesshoumaru with a hopeful expression_..."Would you autograph my favorite book? Tsuke and Ren's Heated Hot Spring Affair?"**

**..._insert many blinks from Hojou and Sasuke, peels of laughter from Inuyasha, confusion from Kikyou, and a blank expression from Sesshoumaru_..."You want me to autograph...what?" **

**..._Kagome breaks out laughing_..."I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so mean..."**

"Somehow I feel I'm at the blunt end of a joke in the next chapter," Sesshoumaru says to TK, thoroughly displeased. TK blinks at him in complete innocence.

"Are you?" she asks, reviewing her next chapter with a thoughtful look. "No, no, I'm sure you're imagining things." she insists, closing the file and locking it with several highly encrypted passwords, security programs, and an unbreakable, unburnable computer. Sesshoumaru's hand glows green, and TK grabs her lappy and runs away. She had forgotten to poisonous-acid-proof her computer.


	13. What is the Twilight Moon

**Title****: Kagome and Sesshoumaru staring in...**  
Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: Sorry, I do not own Inuyasha people. I'm just a fan._

Chapter 13: What is the Twilight Moon?

Walking through the chilly corridors of Sesshoumaru's giant mansion was actually creepier than she would've given it credit for. There she was, just a nineteen-year-old girl who traipsed through time and couldn't tell anyone about it without looking insane, walking only the devil knew where with a man who probably didn't know what a hairbrush was.

Not that Sesshoumaru really needed a hairbrush, she amended mentally. She would probably kill for his hair… at least until she got a mental image of the feedback she'd get from having white hair (it wasn't white, really).

Speaking of the devil, she was walking a few paces behind and to the right of him, watching him closely. Hell yes, she was afraid of him. She did her best not to show it, but this guy here was not an incarnation no matter how human he might look without his markings or claws or elf-y ears…

She wasn't sure how he got rid of them, or how he had two arms now, but how strange it was to be walking next to the Aristocratic Assassin, in his home, at the time of day when she ought to be asleep in her bed…

They walked down several corridors before he even said a word to her. When he did speak, he said, "I won't eat you…" He even chuckled, and it seemed so out of character for him that she just didn't know how to react. That chuckle was… evil… Well, probably not as evil as it was one that could make a girl faint, head-under-heels in love. Not her, of course, but any other—normal—girl.

"What, I'm just supposed to take your word for it?" Kagome couldn't resist retorting before biting her tongue. Seriously, she had a death wish didn't she? But Sesshoumaru didn't even blink for it, and he stopped at a door, opening it to allow her entrance.

She looked into the cold, dark room, shuddering at the thought of entering. On second thought, maybe she ought to forget the whole twilight moon thing. Her hand went to her wrist where the magical object once again resided. She should've left it at the bottom of the lake. Who would've found it anyway? It wasn't like they could've done any harm with it, surely.

xXx

Standing there next to her, Sesshoumaru felt his heart racing in his chest and he was glad she was only human. He wanted to reach out to her, to touch her, to _smell_ her, to crush her body against his own if only to know she was really there.

How many nights had he spent standing in the rain on his balcony, trying to remember her while simultaneously trying to forget? How unfair it was, then, that she was here and yet he knew that it was only temporary. He hoped, prayed to any god that would listen, that she didn't give up the movie so he could have a little more time with her.

He sounded like a lovesick fool, and he knew it, but he… missed her. Even just the brief moment watching her look into his bedroom apprehensively was causing memories to flood back—memories of emotions he'd had nearly five centuries ago while in her presence. Frustration, confusion, amusement…

His nights spent trying to forget-yet-remember her left him with just barely a ghost of the memories he'd made in that single week alone with her, inside the same building they were in now, though it was now fixed up properly. The memories had always haunted him.

Now, with her there, he wanted to shove her away, never to see her again and yet pull her close and not let her go back to the past… Never let her leave his side… If only she knew, if only he could tell her, that she would _die_ back then… That she would _kill_ herself. That her body would _never be found_.

And yet, Sesshoumaru said nothing about it, and she met his eyes with her own filled with determination and stalked into his bedroom. He followed and flipped the lights on, leading her to a standing display in the corner of the room. He said nothing about what had happened—or what she would come to do—because he was far from a lovesick fool. As far from it as any man could be. He valued his life, and if she didn't kill herself, he wouldn't be alive.

In another hundred years, Sesshoumaru might have been like Inuyasha, who could only remember Kagome's name these days, or Kouga who remembered nothing at all. But she had returned, and with her came the excess baggage he didn't necessarily want. The memories were slow at returning it seemed, but as he stood there telling Kagome about the jewelry set (not fully aware of his own words) he recalled why he hadn't killed her.

She had been wearing that bracelet, and she had smelled so _strongly_ of him. Even soaking wet, she still smelled like him. The scent of him had clung to her flesh, not just her clothes. He'd been curious about it but her only response was, "Stranger things have happened…"

Sesshoumaru had stopped talking. He was caught up, his eyes searching her soft features for any indication that perhaps Shippou was wrong, that she wasn't really _her_. But even still, he could not deny his gut instinct. It really was her. The girl who would die for everything.

Time traveling, Sesshoumaru thought, his mind awed at the very idea. This girl was incredibly powerful to wield such an ability. It was nothing like Tenseiga, nothing like Tetsusaiga… Not even Sesshoumaru's father, when wielding his three swords of conquest could have ever dreamed of attaining such a gift.

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru, her expression curious and a bit fearful though the fear was very well hidden. He, however, was Sesshoumaru. These things could not be fully hidden from him. It was egotistical to presume no one could hide from him what they felt, but he truly felt he was _that_ good.

"Sesshoumaru?" she asked, and then rather belatedly added, "Uh, I meant to say… -sama, too…" When he said nothing, and just continued to stare at her (which, given his personality back then would not have been out of character except for the fact that he wasn't trying to murder her with his eyes), a faint blush stained her cheeks and she rambled, "Hey, if you could just give a little here, I mean, I don't have a death wish or anything, but just really, staring at me? It's kind of unnerving, you know? I know you know who I am, and I know who you are, but let's just cut to the chase here. Five hundred years has to be a long time. Things've had to have changed. You said you knew me, that I was kind to you or something, but let's face it. I can't picture it, as the last thing I said to you was something about how you were a…"

He couldn't help but grin as she rambled on and then trailed off, looking at him with wide eyes and pinked cheeks. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He had once been renowned for his insolence, and some old habits died hard. He couldn't help but play with fire and toy with the miko.

xXx

Kagome swore internally as Sesshoumaru smirked at her. She really had to have a death wish after that. How could she not? After five hundred years, if he wanted to think she was nice to him, why the heck would she remind him of all the times she'd been rude and called him a pig-headed ass? Or any of the innumerable other names she'd called him?

If a picture spoke a thousand words, then she was sure a still-frame of his expression would inform her to high-tail it out of there before she was devoured. Whole.

"What was I?" he asked, his voice as smooth as silk. His tall frame, garbed in a blue tee-shirt and jeans, was no less intimidating than it used to be in his battle gear. Hell, he seemed _more_ intimidating in that, because she could _see_ how powerful he just had to be. That was not mentioning that she had no idea when he'd changed from his dress clothes. But those arms were nothing but muscles. Sure, for some reason he didn't have fangs or claws, and his tell-tale markings weren't there. His eyes were that same impossible gold, his hair was so gorgeous women would kill to have it, and his skin absolutely flawless…

What she wouldn't give to know how he managed to change his appearance… Damn, it was bothering her… Where did those markings go?

She found herself nervously taking a step back from him, feeling as though there weren't enough space between herself and this demon lord. This demon lord who was most certainly _not_ an incarnation of a man who existed centuries ago…

"Um," she scrambled for words to make amends. If Sesshoumaru wanted her dead for an insult, she had no doubt he could get rid of the body with no one the wiser. Her mind feebly tried to suggest she wouldn't be harmed. He had said as long as she was in the dress she wouldn't be harmed, but could she trust him?

Like a sick dance, his eyes lit up in the light of the gray dawn, full of amusement she didn't know if she liked to see. Good girls like her should be in bed at such a late hour. Instead, she was in a demon's bed quarters, and that demon took a step closer to her, as though mocking her to try to escape.

"Do tell," he told her. "What was I?"

Gulping slightly, she realized too late her words were going to be the death of her. He was humored by this, but then again, hadn't Inuyasha once said Sesshoumaru was known as the Aristocratic Assassin? He probably got his jollies off this sort of thing: tormenting young women. Taking another step back from him, she tried to speak but all she managed was a pitiful squeak.

He stepped closer to her again, his smile seeming even more sinister than before as he came close enough that she could feel his body heat. She hastily backed away, half tripping in the killer shoes she was wearing, but escape seemed no immediate option because the humored demon simply moved with her.

Eyes wide as they could go, Kagome found herself trapped against the wall of his room. She tried to move left, to escape toward the bedroom door. He blocked her path with his left arm—the arm that she had watched Inuyasha chop off, yet he was using now. Eyes scrambling for an exit, she saw the balcony door. Trying to slip around his right, he did the same, blocking her path with his right arm.

She was trapped, and she didn't even know if screaming would make a difference. Would anyone hear? Would anyone even _come_ to help? Shippou wouldn't have left her with Sesshoumaru if she would be harmed because of it, would he? Oh, she hoped not.

Slowly lifting her eyes from Sesshoumaru's chest, she was met with a face shrouded in darkness. Eerily, his eyes had a glow in the darkness and they were dancing. "What was I?" he asked again, his face coming so close she could feel his breath on her lips. It smelled of mint chocolate, the smell of it so tasty she couldn't help but lick her lips.

"You gave me your word… You wouldn't hurt me," she said, finding that bit of her that was always so defiant once more. It seemed to have been slowly disappearing over the past few months, when she'd started to think more and more about the inevitable prophecy she had to fulfill. The split image of the prophecy flashed in her mind's eye, and she clenched her fist, feeling rebellious.

Looking up into those eyes that weren't far from her own, she glared at him. "So—back _off_, Sesshouma—" His lips were on hers before she could protest, and one gasp later, she could feel his tongue mingling in her mouth. Definitely not one to let any creature, man or demon, have their way with her especially when it was unwanted, Kagome bit down on his tongue satisfied to know she'd drawn blood.

He pulled away from her, swearing and chuckling simultaneously. "Damn, you didn't have to bite."

"You didn't have to attack me!" she hissed back at the man who still had her trapped against the wall. It shocked her when he brushed her bottom lip with his thumb. Showing it to her, she saw blood.

"You're a feral little kitten, aren't you?" he sneered… or was he actually _teasing_ her? No, it was so much easier to think he was insulting her than to think of the implications that this futuristic Sesshoumaru was _teasing_ her.

Her mouth ran before her brain processed the words. "You're a horny mutt who'll go after whatever piece of tail you can find, aren't you?" Her tone was mimicking his, albeit more harshly. If she'd let her brain do its job and evaluate those words before letting them off the leash, she wouldn't have said them.

He smirked, his hands gripping her slim waist firmly. A squeak escaped her as he pulled her flush against his body, her hands immediately raising to his chest to try pushing herself away from him. Her mind noticed how amazingly firm his chest was. Damn, she couldn't help it… her fingers absently ran along his chest. When she realized what she was doing, she stopped it and tried to escape his tight grip, hating how easily he manhandled her.

"We'll be closer together by far on set." He whispered in her ear, his voice sending a shiver down her spine that was completely unrelated to fear. It was strange; she didn't feel fear at that moment. His words physically reminded her how this was not the feudal era. Sure, there were signs everywhere that told her it was the modern world she grew up in: a phone just six feet away on a bed table, their clothes, the western style bed… _him_.

"I'm not kidding," she hissed again. "Let me go."

"What will you do if I don't, _kitten_?" he taunted her again, using that disgusting pet name. "What if I… did this…?" She felt his hand sliding along her spine keeping her pressed tight to him with no leeway for free movement. She gasped when he pulled on one of the bow ties that kept the expensive gown fastened in the back.

"Sesshoumaru, don't you dare!" God, he wasn't doing that, honestly. What a pervert! Miroku never tried to undress anyone! The man—or rather, demon—chuckled lowly in her ear. Okay, obviously he would dare. She felt the two tie strings fall away. With that gone, she could feel his fingers pulling and working at loosening the strings. "Stop it, or so help me I will—"

Her mind went blank as the devil himself swooped to lay claim on her neck. Enemy or not, dangerous or not, it felt so good as those lips pressed on her neck, as his tongue ran along her flesh, as he suckled and nipped and teased her… _Damn_ did it feel so good… It was sinful. Against her will, her body stopped protesting.

"Or what, kitten?" he said, forcing a noise from her as he hit a spot in the crook of her neck that caused a foreign warmth to pool in her gut. She refused to admit the noise wasn't a sound of protest. It simply was not possible that she'd moaned. Absolutely _not_.

"—I, I will… I will…" she wasn't a quitter, but why the hell was she fighting this again? Her senses were brought to the fact that the dress was loose on her torso, barely kept up now by the thin straps.

"Not much of a fighter, yet, are you kitten?" he asked her, chuckling as his hands slid up her sides, going for the straps undoubtedly. She wasn't fighting now, and she knew that was a bad idea but how could she when his tongue was doing such a terrible number on her senses? "At this rate, the nuisance Gojyoumaru will surely kill you…"

The name was enough to set Kagome's body on edge, and kill whatever mood had settled upon the dark room. She pushed him back, startling him enough that he actually fell back a step and allowed her the mercy of enough room to slip out of reach. Well… if he wanted, he'd have her in a heartbeat she was sure, but her hand scooped up the phone threateningly.

"One step and I'll call the police!" she said, waving the cordless phone. He stood back, smirking but not approaching her. "How do you know that name?" she demanded of him. She'd never told anyone about any of her prophetic visions or dreams; Gojyoumaru had been in enough of her dreams lately to be _quite_ memorable.

_His light green hair was spiked straight up in the air, defying not only gravity, but the rain that pelted and soaked them both straight through. Two antennae-looking clumps of hair stuck out and curved over his yellow-green eyes. _

_In this darkness, his eyes glowed and each flicker of the lightning illuminated him like strobe lights in a club. His clothes were blue, and incredibly well made, and from the sides of that short, but unnaturally spiky hair emerged two ears as adorable as Inuyasha's… _

Kagome shook away the vision as it wanted to surface. No one could know she was struggling with these visions and dreams. Not even Kikyou.

"Relax, kitten," his smile told her he wasn't threatened in the least by that phone. It told her he would have that phone out of her grip, and her pinned to the bed that was now just a foot behind her, before she could even press the call button. It told her even if she managed to make the call, the police wouldn't ever make it in time.

"Relax? You want me to relax? I'm in a bedroom with a damn demon assassin who just molested me! And you say to relax? I think we're _beyond_ relaxation!" She hissed, noticing that she was hissing a lot. It was probably what invoked the nickname. She felt the gown slipping off her shoulders due to the undone ties, and hastily pulled the straps back up, feeling the anger boiling. Fear be damned at that point, she was _pissed_. Royally. At royalty. "So don't you tell me to relax!" she yelled.

"Would you have me tell you to be tense? Because I'm pretty sure the point would be moot; you've already got that covered." Sesshoumaru drawled.

"How did you know that name, Sesshoumaru. Answer me!" Kagome let her finger hover over the call button, despite knowing it would do her no good.

In seconds, he had her down against the firm mattress, the phone in his hand as she had very well known he could do. His gold eyes bore down into hers as he straddled her, one large hand pinning both hers above her head, the other holding the phone—which was still off, she hadn't even managed to push the call button—tauntingly in front of her.

"I find it interesting… you don't threaten me with purification. We both know the police would be a useless effort. The best it would do would be to cause a media scandal if it got out that the police were called from here." He tossed the phone toward the pillows and leaned his free hand on the bed.

Kagome was not done being angry, and still thankfully lacked that fear that she'd felt earlier. Her brain was too clouded with anger anyway, there was no room for fear. "Answer me! Or maybe I _will_ purify your ass!" she said, struggling to get away. She bucked her hips in an effort to get him off her, but his eyes just danced merrily as he ground down against her, effectively stilling her and causing a wild stain to grace her cheeks. He wasn't doing that, she told herself. It was not happening, because she was a good girl. Bad things didn't happen to good girls.

"You know the movie is to be quite intimate. You'll be exposed all but completely, on screen, in front of millions of viewers by the time the film is released in theaters. There will be pictures of you circling the web. And by the end of it, this _demon assassin_ will have done a world more than just give you these." One finger trailed her neck, indicating the marks he'd put there.

Kagome shuddered. "Who says I'm even going to? I didn't want this! I didn't sign up!"

"Where did you learn to quit? It certainly wasn't from my dim-wit brother."

"_Half_-brother," she corrected him, surprised he would forget such a detail when it was the brothers who were always angry to be associated with each other to begin with. "And I'm not a quitter!"

"You sure?" he chuckled, his free hand going to toy with the thin strap of fabric on her shoulder. "Does this mean you'll play the part, kitten?"

"I never said that," she began, but she bit her lip. His finger hooked under the strap and pulled it down. "Stop it." She told him. "You can't just go around kissing and having your twisted way with people. Especially not me."

He laughed as if irony had just slapped him, and leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. He pulled back just as her teeth snapped together, ready to bite his lips. "Why not? You didn't seem to mind," he said cryptically.

"Of course I mind," she said, trying to yank her hands free. This version of Sesshoumaru was more annoying than the one that tried to kill her for Tetsusaiga! "Why wouldn't I mind? How the hell do I explain to my mother how I got fucking _hickies_ on my neck? She's a pretty calm woman in regards to the fact that I could be disemboweled on a daily basis, but give me a hicky and she'll do murder!"

Sesshoumaru appeared to take that as a challenge, because he leaned forward and ran his tongue teasingly along the other side of her neck, biting lightly to bruise her tender flesh. It was then that she noticed his grip on her hands had loosened. She reached out, twining her fingers in his hair and yanking his head away from her neck. He cautiously peeled her hands out of his hair and held them together. Molten gold eyes met midnight blue in a clash of icy humor and fiery rage.

"I meant _you_ didn't mind doing it to _me_."

The words stunned Kagome. "I-I never!" she said.

"Past tense for you is accurate; in my case, perhaps not so." He said simply.

"S-so, what are you s-saying?" she stammered nervously. "We were… or are going to be… l-lovers, or something?" She hoped not. That would be far too weird. Had he been waiting for her or something? Was that why he was doing this now?

Sesshoumaru laughed. "You're funny. No, we weren't," he assured her and she felt a wash of relief. That is, until he said, "Friends with benefits. That fits better."

Kagome felt as though she'd been dunked in ice water. She shivered involuntarily. "But Inuyasha…"

"—Was no where near, when we met up. Here, in fact." He told her, his eyes laughing. "We slept here, in this room."

"Together?" she half-shrieked at the indecency of it. It wasn't really that big of a deal. She stayed in rooms with Inuyasha and Miroku before. But what he implied was beyond reasonable. Sesshoumaru's response was a nod. She felt her heart beating wildly out of control until everything seemed to stop all at once. Her eyes narrowed at Sesshoumaru in realization. "You're _toying_ with me." She hissed.

"Congratulations. Want a medal?" he taunted her, eyes overflowing with hidden mirth.

"Tell me how you know Gojyoumaru's name."

"You will meet him," he told her, "and then you will meet me." He paused, as if to let her absorb that information. After a moment, he continued in a soft tone, all play set aside. "I shouldn't have told you anything. Not one word… but I can't stop myself from saying it. I want to meet you back then, and I want you to do the movie now, kitten…"

Sighing, Kagome let all tension fall from her body. He wasn't going to hurt her, perhaps, but he also wasn't letting her go at the moment so being tense and struggling was pointless. But oddly enough, he sounded wistful about wanting to meet her in the past. What sort of chance encounter did they have anyway?

"I have enough responsibilities stacked on my plate, Sesshoumaru. I don't think I have the energy to do this too."

"Please, find the energy. If you don't do this, there's a great chance that…" he stopped and she watched in surprise as he nervously chewed his lip. "Okay, plain and simple, here's the thing. If you don't do this, there's a great chance that some untalented bimbo will take your place. I can't bear the thought. The character you play deserves so much more."

"Explain it," Kagome urged him, although it was more demanding than anything.

"The story is based on true events, although the writers… altered it…"

"What true events? God, you're heavy, would you just let me up?" she asked.

"If you agree not to attempt to kill me or run off, I will," he said with an eyebrow raised.

Her eyebrows narrowed. "I'm _going_ to do _both_ if you don't get up right now. And if you've got a damn erection," she tried to sound as threatening as possible as she said that, but he'd been pressing against her for several minutes to pin her, and she wasn't sure she wanted to think about what she was feeling her own self, much less what she felt from him.

He somewhat reluctantly shifted off her, helping her up. To her embarrassment, the gown nearly fell off but she caught it in time. "Would you like something more comfortable to wear?" he offered, waving to his bureau.

She thought that over momentarily before realizing it was probably a good idea. For whatever reason, for the history he had with her that she hadn't lived yet perhaps, he wasn't going to harm her. Maybe toy with her, but nothing more harmful. Nodding, she asked, "Why are you so… different? Inuyasha is too. And, well, Shippou isn't as much, but…"

"It's been a long time," he told her, getting up and walking over to his dresser. He pulled out a pair of draw string pants and a tee-shirt that would dwarf her. "We've all changed. We had to, as governments rose and fell and then rose again, and the demons slowly faded away. These days, most demons are in the movie business or the mafia." He brought her the clothes and indicated a dressing panel in one of the corners of the room.

Kagome made her way to the panel, hiding behind it and slipping out of the killer dress and heels. The pants were obviously too big for her, but she was able to tie them tight using the draw string. The shirt really did dwarf her, going down well past her thighs. Seeing a few hangers on a hook on the wall behind the panel, she said, "I'm stealing a hanger; you owe me anyway."

She imagined he merely waved a hand in dismissal. She used the hanger to put the dress on so it wouldn't get any more wrinkles than it already had due to Sesshoumaru's folly and pulled the long gloves off her hands, folding them on the chair behind the panel. She hung the hanger back on the hook with her dress and set her awful shoes on the floor beneath it. As she left the small area behind the panel, she began pulling out bobby pin after bobby pin, being very careful not to lose a single one as each one had a diamond embedded in it and was worth more than her grandfather's shrine.

Sesshoumaru was back on his bed, watching her as she crossed the room and set the many bobby pins on the closest bedside table. It was hard to believe she'd been so angry at him only a few minutes before.

"So why are you in the movie business?" she inquired. "I'd picture you more as Yakuza than an actor."

"I was a mob boss about fifty years ago," he said casually and shrugged. "It got boring so I staged my death and took a job as a shoe store clerk."

If she had been drinking, it would've come straight out her nose. "What?" she couldn't believe her ears. "You? A measly clerk at a shoe store? I can't even picture it!"

Sesshoumaru's expression was humored. "It was rather insufferable. If I didn't already have money, I would've lost this place and my apartment."

"So, wait, you've got this huge mansion, _and_ an apartment?" He nodded. "Why?"

"Shoe store clerks don't make enough to live in this sort of place. The 'movie star Sesshoumaru Matenkashi' is the first to live here in a century, as I didn't want this place associated with the mafia. Demons these days have to stage their death and generally have to purchase new appearance charms from the kitsunes if they want to stay in public, otherwise dead men walking usually raises questions."

Kagome shifted onto the bed, grateful to learn a bit about how demons had survived. It was unsettling to learn he'd been a mob boss, but not entirely unexpected. "Then what about this movie?" she asked, hugging her knees to her chest. It was odd how comfortable things seemed to have become. He'd brought her there to show her the jewelry, but very little was said before the unsettling dance began. Her eyes strayed to the bracelet on her wrist, but then made their unbidden way back to Sesshoumaru's golden orbs.

"It's the story of my father and Izayoi, Inuyasha's mother. I took the story to some movie writers with the intent of it being Inuyasha's birthday present a few years down the road, but the writers changed things, and it isn't true to history anymore. I haven't the faintest idea how to get it back to truth, without bloodshed."

"You're not trying hard enough then," Kagome told him firmly. He looked at her curiously and she couldn't help but smile at him. "Typical man, thinking violence solves everything."

"It does, kitten" he smirked, his eyes telling her quite clearly what he was thinking of.

"Don't even," she said, but he ignored her and pounced, pinning her down against the pillows. "Ow, phone!" she complained, arching her back which turned out to be a mistake. He lifted her up easily, grabbing the phone and whipping it roughly off the bed where it clattered on the floor. He lowered her again, this time being more gentle as he pinned her down with her arms over her head. Once more he started kissing her lips, but this time she didn't try to bite him. She was starting to like this Sesshoumaru; the one that had a stick up his ass in the feudal era was really not as fun.

Besides, the conclusion of the prophecy was her death. She already resigned herself to this, knowing she couldn't possibly escape it if she wanted to. If she didn't do it, who would have to take her place? Kikyou? Maybe Souta? Most likely Kikyou, but Kagome couldn't possibly ask the other girl to take her place. Kikyou had died for the jewel already; this was Kagome's burden to bear. But…who said she couldn't have a little fun before then?

Sesshoumaru's hand slipped under the borrowed shirt. She wasn't sure when he'd let go of her hands, but quickly found it didn't matter as the hand that had killed thousands ran along her bare stomach causing shivers to course through her.

Her mind tried to warn her that this was probably more wrong than she'd ever get, but she didn't care. Someone was alive other than her family who knew she wasn't crazy. Who knew she wasn't some medical miracle. That someone was currently kissing her senseless, and it felt good. Could she be blamed for the shudder that ran through her when he cupped her breast firmly? Could she be blamed for moaning—which was completely and totally a moan of _protest_, and she would forever testify to that—when he began to knead her flesh?

His other hand grasped her chin, turning her head to the side almost _eagerly_ (although anyone else would've called it _rough_) and he once more proceeded to attack her sensitive neck. Sensibility seized her once more, curse the trait. "Kami, Sessh-o-_oooh_," she hissed as he suckled on that sensitive spot he'd found earlier. Her mind went fuzzy and it took her a moment to re-gather her wits. "Fuck," Inuyasha's foul mouth had proven to have rubbed off on her that night… "We, this is, we shouldn't…"

He ignored her, blatantly. Part of her was glad, the other part frustrated beyond words. Her heart was hammering wildly in her chest. Now it was really going to bother her; what sort of chance encounter did they really have? From what she recalled, and she had a pretty good memory, he hated humans.

Her fingers found purchase on his shoulders. Despite being on her back on the bed, she felt as if she would fall if she didn't hold onto something, but at the same time, if death came early she knew she would gladly welcome it, especially if this was heaven.

She was just starting to get into it when a loud blaring noise interrupted and killed the playful mood. Both of them groaned and Sesshoumaru rolled off her, slamming his fist down on the clock that told him it was eight AM and time to get up. "Kill joy," he muttered darkly. "In the next five hundred years, remind me not to remain abstinent."

Kagome leaned up on her elbow to look at him, feeling humored by his behavior. "So you _are_ a horny mutt. I'm not sure I should feel offended or flattered that you'd pick me of all people to go after at this point."

"Obviously flattered. Hell, even I would want me, if self-gratification weren't degrading," he told her with a smirk.

"You're just a dirty old man," she said. "I should find Shippou and get going home."

"Good luck with that. He's long gone. Left me with instructions to take you home. And you have my word I'm not taking you home until you agree to do the movie."

Kagome growled and launched herself at him, her hand raised to whack him. "You jerk! I need to go home!" she said. She hadn't planned on being able to do anything to him, and he didn't let her. He moved and let her sprawl out indignantly on the bed, and then got up and walked to the door.

"Well, go ahead and get some rest. I have a few things to do, but I'll come back. And try not to break anything."

Kagome glared at the conceited twit. "I could rob you blind and leave."

His lip twitched upward. "I could trail your scent and melt you with my poison flower claws."

"You're such a fruitcake. Seriously, _flower_ claws? Sounds like some manicure gone horribly wrong."

All he said to that was, "Sleep, kitten." He shut the door behind him, frustrating her more as the suggestion of sleep caused her to yawn. If the well had miraculously dried up, though she still was unsure how it got full in the first place, she was sure Inuyasha had come for her and was having a royal fit. If the well wasn't dried up, well, then it would be Kagome's mother having a fit.

Deciding she better check in with her mother, Kagome moved across the room and picked up the discarded phone. It was—thankfully—not broken. Kagome quickly dialed the number and her mother picked up after the first ring. "Kagome, is that you darling?" the worried woman asked.

"Yes, mama. First off, I'm okay. Second, I might be a while getting home again. One of the actors is bringing me home; I had to go to his house for a celebratory party and all." She told her mother immediately.

Her mother let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good. I'm glad you're alright. I have been worried sick. You should have called."

"I know, I'm sorry. I lost track of the time."

"Well then, where are you now? Which actor's house? Is it big and fancy?"

"I'm at that Matenkashi actor's house," it took an unbelievable amount of energy to say that casually, "and it's huge. Three stories, at least, and very fancy. He has dozens of rooms here, and a gay, cross-dressing maid who is…" she trailed off, not sure how to label Myron the maid. Seriously, a man in a French maid's outfit was more scary than any demon she'd ever encountered.

"Oh, really? I think Kikyou's at some Matenkashi home right now. She went yesterday to get a special book from that jewelry store gentleman, but it got late and she and her friends had to stay the night. Strange how the names are similar. I wonder if there's any relation."

Kagome grinned. Of course there had to be; why hadn't she thought of that sooner? There was a great chance that Kikyou would be there right now. "Oh, I have to go, mama. I'll talk to you later, love you, bye." Kagome hung up quickly and left the room, but not before hurriedly running her hands through her hair and attempting to arrange it so it hid her neck as best possible. Her mussed curly hair wasn't keen to obey her.

She thought about getting dressed in her gown once more, but changed her mind on the grounds that it was extremely uncomfortable and there was no way in hell she'd manage to properly tie the strings in the back anyway.

When she started wandering around, she began to realize how far Sesshoumaru must have taken her the night before. Without her noticing it, he'd taken her up to the second floor, and she couldn't find a staircase down.

xXx

It took Sesshoumaru several long minutes just to clear his head after leaving his room. Finding sense in anything he did was beyond him. He couldn't _believe_ himself. He was just going to scare her a bit, push her buttons, but that hadn't worked quite as he planned.

Finding one of the main bathrooms in the west wing, he decided a shower wouldn't hurt to help clear his mind. Unfortunately, the hot spray did nothing for him. He kept envisioning the defiant look on her face that had amused him so many years ago. No one—_no one_—stood up to him, defied him, and lived to speak of it. But she had.

He had kissed her, momentarily forgetting that she had obviously not yet met up with him in the past. Would it have made a difference if she had? He supposed he could explain his actions logically enough. He knew death threats were useless on her. She'd proven countless times in her travels with Inuyasha that she wasn't afraid of death threats. Instead of threatening her, he saw her blushing and discomfort at their close proximity and took advantage of it to throw her off balance.

Sesshoumaru had to admit, he'd enjoyed it far more than he ought to have, but that could be explained from five centuries of unspent energy. Abstinence had killed his control, and once he started kissing her he didn't want to stop. He supposed he was crazy for it, but her hostility toward him only made him want to keep going. He'd never been so excited as when she bit his tongue.

Swearing and running his hands through his hair, he knew he was forgetting something. She was like a forbidden fruit, delicious but not without consequences. There was something about that week they spent together that he still wasn't remembering. What was it? Hell, there was a lot he wasn't remembering. He still hadn't the faintest idea what they talked about for the most part. He remembered little bits, but nothing more.

His mind replayed the moment he mentioned Gojyoumaru. She had gotten particularly aggressive, but her reaction wasn't that of a strong priestess. Instead of threatening immediate purification, she'd assumed to call the police. His little kitten was unlike any priestess he'd ever met. Five hundred years ago, she had been defiant and skilled. At the moment, she was as defiant, but he could tell she hadn't honed her abilities yet.

Her aura alone had been intoxicating. Wild and unpredictable, lacking the stability that so many priestesses claimed as mere children… He could feel it coating his flesh even then from afar. Touching her was like touching fire. He could feel his skin burning from the raw purity that seeped from her, but for every bit she unconsciously burned, his body healed just as quickly. It was fascinating. No one could hurt him, and yet she didn't even try.

He wanted to feel that extremely pleasurable burning again.

Holding back a groan, Sesshoumaru leaned under the shower spray again to rinse the cleanser out of his hair. "I am a freak," he muttered to himself, unable to believe himself. He was feeling aroused by the idea of being burned—_purified_. The very idea that he was playing with something that could eliminate him into nothing more than dust and ash on the wind was stimulating.

He couldn't help but wonder if that was why Inuyasha had hung around not just one priestess, but two. Had the boy realized this?

Turning off the shower, Sesshoumaru got out and dried off. Knowing he couldn't go back to his room for different clothes, he dressed in the ones he'd changed into upon arriving home the night before. Well, he _could_ go back to his room, a part of him said wickedly, with just a towel wrapped around his waist. If she was still awake, he _could_ start something again. The more he touched her bare flesh, the more his own would burn.

What if there were no cloth between them, he wondered. Kami only knew how great the sex had to be…

Instead, he smacked himself mentally. How had the great Sesshoumaru come to be so absolutely disgusting? Leaving his soaking wet hair to air dry, he threw the towel on the rack and double checked to make sure nothing was out of place in the bathroom. Having a child in the house was going to be hell. He'd never wanted kids, but for Inuyasha's sake he decided he would endure.

The mutt deserved a break from his wife, even if he was stupid enough to think to go back to her. It had taken the better part of a day to convince Inuyasha to stay at his home until his wife at least calmed down, and even then Inuyasha only agreed because Sesshoumaru literally made it an order.

After his shower, Sesshoumaru made his way to the kitchen. He could smell Inuyasha in there, along with a few others. Recalling that he had guests who wanted to meet 'Su Jin', the author (a penname he'd written under _years_ ago), he quickened his steps.

Entering, all eyes turned to him except those of the adopted half-breed child. Sesshoumaru couldn't remember the brat's name, but it was something like Tofu… or something…

"Mornin', Sess." Inuyasha said. Sesshoumaru noticed his half-brother's bruises were fading at last. Under ordinary circumstances, they should've been gone but after years of the abuse Inuyasha had endured, his ability to heal had taken as much of a beating. It was a normal occurrence for all demons. After a while, the ability to heal becomes slower and slower until eventually it simply dies out, which was often when demons died because of their wounds. The more injuries that have to be healed, the faster the healing system will burn out.

Not sparing his brother a greeting, Sesshoumaru moved to the cupboards. He took out a mug and began fixing his morning tea, half choking on the pungent aroma of coffee. Inuyasha had once explained that coffee was the only holy thing left in the world, but Sesshoumaru disagreed. It was agony to his nasal senses.

"Tch, fine, don't say hi." Inuyasha grumbled at Sesshoumaru's back.

'I won't,' Sesshoumaru thought, smirking mentally but otherwise keeping his features impassive. Just because he'd allowed himself to let go with his delicious little kitten didn't mean he'd suddenly become Mr. Chatterbox.

"Sess, these are the kids I told you about. The ones who want to know about the book and the jewelry." Inuyasha said.

Sesshoumaru turned to face the table, pausing momentarily when he saw Kagome was sitting at it, and then realized this girl here was different. Her eyes were brown, which was the most noticeable difference. The subtle differences were in her hair which was straighter and appeared longer, and in her aura which was tightly controlled. Her eyes, staring straight at Sesshoumaru with an unwavering gaze, contained an ice that even Sesshoumaru couldn't match.

An ice that chilled even him to the core.

He could feel a tendril of her power snake out and wrap around him, likely a precautionary measure, but she knew he wasn't human. If it weren't for the fact that he _knew_ Kagome was the woman who had haunted him for five centuries, he might even worry he had kissed the wrong woman. But there was no mistaking it; there were two totally different, albeit similar, people.

He tore himself out of his thoughts when he realized he was being addressed by one of the boys.

"We really do appreciate you taking the time to see us. It's been really hard to find anything on the jewelry, and our teacher won't give us any more extensions on the assignment. We have to turn it in on Monday."

Not taking his eyes off the girl—Inuyasha probably said their names, but Sesshoumaru hadn't deigned to pay attention—Sesshoumaru leaned against the counter with his tea cup in hand, breathing in the sweet scent it gave off.

"The jewelry revolves around the tale of a princess sacrificed to the demon king of the west," Sesshoumaru explained. One of the boys opened their mouth to ask a question, but Sesshoumaru simply lifted one eyebrow. "Do you want to hear it or not?"

Blushing, the boy mumbled a brief yes before falling silent.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at Sesshoumaru before offering more coffee. The girl who looked like Kagome shook her head at the offer, her cup still filled completely. She must have disliked the drink. The two boys accepted the offer gratefully, both of them looking tired.

"In centuries past, the demon king of the west ruled over all. Whenever a rival clan began to rise to power, he would crush it. One such rising clan of humans proposed to sacrifice its princess to the king's will. The king accepted the princess, despite that he had no interest in her at the time, and ordered his son to guard the princess. Knowing of his son's hate for humans, the king ordered that the Twilight Moon be made, to protect her from the prince."

Sesshoumaru left the story at that, and the girl's eyes were suspicious when he stopped. There was definitely more to the story, and he knew the girl realized that, but she also didn't push for more.

One of the boys began hesitantly, "Why would the king seek to protect her if he had no interest in her?"

Wondering what class these three were taking, but not truly interested enough to find out, Sesshoumaru said, "The king found out the princess had the ability to weave cloth that no fire could burn, using thread spun from the hairs of a fire rat which were said to have been extinct. The cloth would suffer no injury, as it would grow to replace missing or cut off pieces. He did not desire this power in the hands of any other, so he kept her."

"It makes sense," Kagome said. Wait, Kagome? Sesshoumaru had to do a double take for a moment, and it was immediately grating on his nerves how she managed to sneak into the kitchen without him noticing. She wasn't _in_ the kitchen, really, since she was just standing in the doorway. But how did she get there? He should've noticed her arrival! "After all, demons go after power all the time. Seems to be all they want."

Feeling a bit offended by the insinuation, despite the truth of it, Sesshoumaru lifted one eyebrow at the girl. "There is no way you slept."

"Kagome?" both boys said in surprise as Kagome hugged her look-alike from behind the girl's chair, and received a squeeze to her wrist in response.

"Hey, Hojou," she said to the brown eyed boy. "Hey, Sasuke," she said to the one with hazel eyes. "Thought you guys might be here." She beamed at them before looking at Sesshoumaru. Irritation bloomed within her eyes, aura, and voice in just seconds. "And no, I didn't sleep. How could I? Do you know how many tests I have to take on Monday? And that's not including the homework assignments I haven't finished while I'm stuck here."

"I'm terribly upset to have kept you," Sesshoumaru couldn't help but drawl out. He knew full well he did not sound upset. She glared at him in impatience. "You know my day revolves around pleasing you," his sarcastic tone turned her expression to one of anger.

"And well it should!" she snapped. "If you want me to do you any favors, _or_ be nice to you, you should be making me happy!"

Sasuke-boy looked confused. "What are you doing here, Kagome-san? Do you know him?"

Inuyasha looked equally confused. "I'd like to know, too, Sess. You seem more familiar with her than if she was just a girl picked for the movie… and she's wearing your clothes."

Kagome blushed and it made him gloat internally that she was embarrassed again. Hojou-boy, however, looked like he'd made a revelation. "Oh, that's right! You were picked to do the movie, weren't you, Kagome-san? I bet you'll do a wonderful job!"

Wanting to embarrass Kagome more, and watch that enchanting pink tint spread farther, Sesshoumaru asked, "Yes, _Kagome_," his tone pure silk, "you'll do _wonderful_."

"Or I won't do it at all," the kitten hissed. She obviously didn't understand how attractive she was when she did that.

Again, Sasuke-boy asked, "How do you know Matenkashi-sama?"

He had to hold in a chuckle at how he could see the gears switching in her brain. She was scrambling for an answer and coming up blank, her lips were flapping but no excuses were coming out, and everyone was waiting for her reply.

"Um," she began, her pink little tongue darting out to wet lips that were still plump from the abuse they suffered that morning. "Well… you see…"

Her look alike said firmly, "They met in the hospital."

Inuyasha's jaw dropped because he knew it was untrue. "But Sess hasn't been to the hospital in over three hundred ye…uh, days…" he finished lamely, blushing at his near fatal error.

Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome immediately pounced on the excuse. "Yes! Yes, in the hospital. It's been a while, hasn't it? Since we met, I mean!"

Shaking his head at her incredibly fake sounding excuse—which was bought only by the child in the room—Sesshoumaru said nothing. Taro (or was it Tora?) spoke up finally over his breakfast cereal, his eyes darting between Kagome and Sesshoumaru quite intelligently. "Does this mean I'm gonna have pretty lady's sister for an aunt? 'Cause she has love bites on her neck."

Kagome went bright red, and Sesshoumaru managed to swallow his tea wrong which caused him to start coughing. "No," she said to the boy as all eyes turned to her and looked at her bruised neck. Her hands went up in an attempt to hide the marks. Kami, it was going to suck having a kid in the house.

The look alike stood up immediately, grasping a book in her fingers firmly. A frown marred her features and she said, "I believe it is time we take our leave. Kagome, you will come home with us." He was disappointed to note how happy Kagome was to get a ride. "I thank you both for your time. It has been greatly appreciated."

Sasuke-boy and Hojou-boy clearly wanted to object, but were stopped by a glare from the girl. Sesshoumaru almost felt like pouting. She was leaving and he wasn't going to get the chance to convince her to play the part of Izayoi. He really meant it when he told her he couldn't stand the idea of some random twit playing the part.

Both boys rambled a thank-you and as Kagome was dragged away by her apparent sister, she stuck her tongue out at him as if to say, 'And you thought you could keep me here…' The sight of her pink little tongue made him think of all the things he would love her to be doing with it.

He heard a brief dispute being whispered in low tones between Kagome and her twin about Kagome getting her clothes, but she insisted she had no problem leaving the 'abomination' right where it was. He personally thought she'd looked stunning in it (although it was better when he was taking it off…) but apparently she didn't like the dress.

Damn it, he really needed to stop those thoughts. It couldn't be healthy.

Now that they were gone, Toshu (Tamaki?) turned to Sesshoumaru.

"Uncle Sesshoumaru?" he asked, his beady little black eyes as wide and innocent as a rat's eye could be. Turning his own eyes on the brat, Sesshoumaru's only response was a raised eyebrow. "What do I do with my bowl and spoon? I'm all done."

Blinking at the boy a few times, surprised the brat even cared, Sesshoumaru waved a hand at the counter. "Set it up here."

The boy slid off his chair and carried his dirty dishes to the sink, but he was a good foot too short to reach it. Deciding it was too much trouble watching, Sesshoumaru took the bowl and just set it on the counter as Inuyasha came in.

"Would it kill you to be decent for once in your life?" Inuyasha demanded. "They just wanted to talk about the Twilight Moon."

"If they want the story that bad, it isn't hard to look up." Sesshoumaru scoffed.

"Just because you know where to look, doesn't mean they will. Hell, I don't even know the whole story!" Inuyasha growled, "And I don't know where you think people can look."

"You're pouting because you want more, aren't you, pup?" Sesshoumaru grinned as his younger brother threw himself into a chair and slouched with his head on the table. Tormenting Inuyasha was so much fun.

"A bit," Inuyasha admitted.

"Well, you'll just have to wait until the movie comes out."

"What movie?" Inuyasha asked, raising his head up. Then he said, "Oh, this new one? I didn't know it was that story." Changing the subject (probably because Inuyasha had grown uncomfortable with the small silence that fell as the rat half-breed quietly played in the corner of the room with a toy car) Inuyasha asked, "Why didn't you tell me you have a girlfriend?"

"I didn't tell you because I don't." Sesshoumaru said simply.

"Her scent is all over you, Sess. I may be an idiot sometimes, but I'm not stupid. Couple that with the hickies, and even Taku knows it. There's something between you and that girl. Who is she anyway?"

Unsurprisingly, Inuyasha hadn't yet made the connection between Kagome's name, and the name of his priestess in the past. It was to be expected, though, as the boy had so little recollection of Kagome at all. Sesshoumaru wasn't going to point things out to his brother though, so he merely stayed quiet and let Inuyasha come to his own conclusions.

"Fine, whatever. Don't talk to me. Why don't you go call your little girlfriend then, 'cause I'm pretty damn sure she's the only one in the world who can get you to say more than insults."

Rolling his eyes at Inuyasha's dramatics, Sesshoumaru did set his tea mug on the counter and leave the room. Figuring he would do well with a nice, long nap, he made his way to his bedroom, pouting openly when he got there. He wished his kitten was still there.

Kami, how far he'd fallen...

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**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Sesshoumaru acidized the chapter, that's why it isn't like the preview from the last chapter! So, I'll have to beat him with the ugly stick. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully the length made up for the long wait!**


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